


Part 3 Battlestar Galactica, Finding Humanity: Regaining Humanity

by Treadstone17



Series: Battlestar Galactica: Finding Humanity [3]
Category: Battlestar Galactica (2003)
Genre: Adult Content, Angst, F/F, F/M, Grief/Mourning, Heterosexual Sex, Lesbian Sex, War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-26
Updated: 2020-11-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:33:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 37,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26657449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Treadstone17/pseuds/Treadstone17
Summary: The Fleet is stunned at the death of Viper Pilot and First Lady, Captain Kara Thrace-Roslin, as her ship exploded in front of Lee Adama.With Laura several months pregnant, she is forced to not only continuing to lead The Fleet, but raise Kacey Roslin by herself.Yet challenges, both personal and political, that the President and The Fleet could never imagine lay just around the corner.
Relationships: Brendan "Hot Dog" Costanza/Louanne Katraine, Karl "Helo" Agathon/Sharon "Athena" Agathon, Laura Roslin/Kara "Starbuck" Thrace, Lee "Apollo" Adama/Anastasia "Dee" Dualla, Lee "Apollo" Adama/Laura Roslin, Lee "Apollo" Adama/William Adama, Louanne Katraine/Kara "Starbuck" Thrace, Margaret "Racetrack" Edmondson & Hamish "Skulls" McCall, William Adama/Laura Roslin
Series: Battlestar Galactica: Finding Humanity [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1847359
Kudos: 5





	1. Chapter 1

Battlestar Galactica: Finding Humanity, Part 3

Regaining Humanity

Treadstone17

I

Aboard _Colonial One_

 **Laura Roslin cradled her daughter** Kacey in her arms, rocking the crying girl, her own face strewn with dried-up tears, mottled red cheeks, and red, sore eyes. They had been in the embrace since Admiral Adama had given Laura the news that Kara's Viper had exploded right in front of Lee, who still went out on occasional patrols, even though he was also Vice-President. Both Lee and Bill were coming over to _Colonial One_ shortly.

Laura had been in their quarters on _Galactica_ , which is where the Roslin's stayed most of the time, but the living venue on _Colonial One_ was still their "second home". She had pulled Kacey out of school, and had Helo whisk them away to the Presidential ship, so they could mourn privately.

Laura was now five months pregnant. She needed to keep it together, both as a mother, and as President, for the good of Kacey and their unborn child. A President led during a crisis and tragedy-even if that tragedy was in her own family. Right now, however, she just needed to be with her daughter, hold her, and protect her, and help her through the loss of her Momma.

Kacey would have questions later, of that Laura was certain. But for now, since the moment she had told the five year old that her Momma wasn't coming home, she had simply cried, Laura taking her off _Galactica_ as quickly as possible to avoid any crowds, and the media. The press knew something was up when Laura had hurriedly pulled Kacey out of school and headed back to _Colonial One._ Tory Foster was dealing with them topside, and informed them that when she heard something from the President, she would let them know.

The President really didn't want to see the Admiral and Vice-President at this time, but formalities, such as they were, were important for the government and the people. The President couldn't grieve alone, not when she had a nation to lead.

Kacey had cried herself out, and had fallen asleep in Laura's arms. It was only 1900, but Laura felt Kacey might sleep through the night. Laura already knew she would sleep in the living room tonight, with Kacey's door open, in case her daughter became upset or frightened. If it came to it, Kacey would sleep with Laura in their...in her bed.

Shortly after Kacey was down, the Marine guard at the door knocked, and announced the presence of the two Adama's.

She had not seen either one of them since Kara's ship disintegrated. Helo had told her the news, and Laura had immediately had the Raptor jock take she and Kacey to _Colonial One._

She knew Lee had needed to go through mission debrief, and that the Admiral couldn't stop things because a pilot-even the First Lady of The Fleet-had been killed.

Admiral Adama entered first, followed by Vice-President Lee Adama. Bill stepped with purpose toward his President, and she fell into his embrace, Laura crying once again, Bill with tears in his eyes. Lee simply looked at the floor for a moment. He had witnessed Kara's death. It had shaken him like nothing in his life-not even when Zak had died. Of course, he hadn't witnessed his brother's demise first-hand.

"I'm so sorry, Laura", Bill said, not using formalities. They weren't needed at the moment. This was a family gathering. Bill Adama had always thought of Kara as a daughter, and Lee...well, Lee had his own history with Kara, but that was in the past. "I would have traded places with Kara in a heartbeat."

"I know, Bill", Laura responded in a high, meek voice. "I would have, too. I don't know what I'll do without her. She was my life!" The tears came hard again, Laura shaking in Bill Adama's arms. "Gods, I miss her already!"

Bill walked Laura over to the large sofa, and sat her down, not letting her go, Lee pulling up a chair from the kitchen to sit close by. Laura eventually began to calm, only when she leaned out of the embrace did the Admiral let her go, making way for his son.

Lee Adama sat down, the Vice-President looking at his Boss. Laura could see that Lee, too, had been crying heavily. She put a soft, protective palm on his cheek, then pulled him into another embrace, again the tears coming for both of them.

"I don't know what to say, Madam Pre...I don't know what to say, Laura", Lee amended. "I keep thinking there was something I could have done, but..."

"None of that, Lee", Laura said, forcing a pained smile on her face. "I know we have the audio, and I'll listen to it soon enough, but we lose pilots all the time." Laura's face fell apart again, more tears showering her face, "I didn't think it would take my beautiful wife!" Lee grabbed her tightly.

"Gods, I know, Laura", Lee said, wishing he had more than words. "I wish there was something more than I could do."

"There is", Laura sniffed. "There will be a memorial service for Kara in three days, and since Kara was the First Lady, an official mourning period of one week will be observed. During that time", Laura informed him, "you will be acting President. I need to take some time to reflect, and to help Kacey through losing Kara. Now", Laura added, with another small, forced grin, "I don't want you to start passing your own laws left and right." Lee laughed as Laura said the words, marveling at her strength. "But simply take care of business for about ten days?"

"Consider it done, Madam President." Lee kissed her on the forehead. "Do you want me to call a presser about the memorial? I figure we'll have it a 1200 on Monday? Full military honors?"

"That would be fine." She turned to the Admiral. "Bill, can you assist Lee and the Quorum in arranging the service, and the period of mourning?"

"Of course, Madam President", Bill said, with no enthusiasm. "I would be honored to help any way I can."

Laura took a shuddering breath, starting to get over this latest round of pain. There would be more in the coming days, she knew it.

"Thank you, gentleman", she said, sounding more like the President, not just a grieving widow. "Kara loved and thought the Universe of both of you. Before Kacey and I came along, you were her family. I know how terribly this is hurting both of you."

"Yes, it is, and yes, Kara was part of our family", the Admiral added. "But she was your spouse; she was the mother of your child; she was First Lady of The Fleet. Our job is to support you and Kacey. In the military", he continued, "we get used to death, but we still have a job to do, and we can compartmentalize it somewhat. Part of that, right now, is looking after you and Kacey. We will grieve in our own way. We are behind you and your daughter, of that you should have no doubt."

"Thank you, Bill", Laura said with a shaky breath, almost losing it again. "You two do honor to our people, and to Kara."

"We'll get through this, Madam President", Lee observed. "As a people, and as a family. I give you my word."

They took their leave of Laura. Topside, the Vice-President announced he would be holding a press conference onboard _Galactica_ in one hour. He wanted to get the press off of _Colonial One_ , so that Laura only had the Marines onboard to watch over her.

* * *

At the moment, the people of The Fleet did not know the tragedy that had befallen them and their President. They would find out shortly.

Lee gathered the reporters in the Pilot's briefing room. They knew something big was up, but surprisingly, no word had leaked out.

"I'd like to thank you for being here on short notice. I do have a statement to make."

Lee looked around the room, knowing that this would be one of the most painful moments in his entire life. His father, Admiral Adama, stood off to one side, as he would briefly speak as well.

"It is with great sadness to announce the death of one of the finest pilots in our fleet, Colonel Kara Thrace-Roslin, our First Lady." Without exception, everyone gathered gasped. "As you know, I still take occasional turns flying, as I am a Viper pilot. I didn't want my duties as Vice-President to completely keep me from flying in the service of our people. I was on a patrol with Captain Thrace-Roslin...Starbuck, you know is her Call Sign. We do not know all the details, but apparently Starbuck somehow lost control of her fighter, and it disintegrated in front of me. There was nothing left of the ship."

Lee paused and took a sip of water. "Kara wasn't simply the best pilot in The Fleet. She was also First Lady of The Fleet, the wife of President Laura Roslin. For myself, and my father", he said, dipping his head toward the Admiral, "it is the loss, quite literally, of a family member. Kara was engaged to my brother Zak years ago, and she's been part of our family since. We lose pilots all the time, and I will not diminish their deaths and the sacrifice any of them have made, but this is a death that will be felt throughout The Fleet.

"There will be a Memorial Service Monday at 1200 aboard _Galactica_ , followed by ten days of official mourning. For that period, President Roslin has requested that I take the helm of the government, while she grieves, and she can be there in every way for her daughter, Kacey. Now, Admiral Adama will say a few words."

Bill stepped up to the microphone. The press couldn't remember seeing the stoic Admiral looking so bereft and small. He had obviously struggled with this death.

"Starbuck...Kara...has been like a daughter to me for a long time now", he said, working mightily from keeping his voice from faltering. "We had our fights, and our falling outs, but the bond between us was always strong. As Lee said, losing any of our fine pilots is a tragedy and hurts our people immensely, but this one is especially bitter, especially after everything Kara went through on New Caprica, then discovering her daughter, Kacey, and falling in love with, and marrying the President. She was the best pilot I've ever seen. Losing her will be felt immensely.

"I ask all of you at this time, to allow President Roslin, and their daughter Kacey, the space and the privacy to grieve and to come to grips with the loss of their wife and mother. On behalf of the military, I would like to send my deepest condolences to President Roslin, and to Kacey. May the gods grant them peace and strength during this difficult time. So say we all."

Normally, with someone like the Vice-President and the Admiral of The Fleet in front of them, the press would have been asking questions left and right. As Lee and Bill walked sadly away, nary a whisper could be heard. The two Adama's were right: this one would hit The Fleet especially hard.

* * *

Doc Cottle made a trip over to _Colonial One_ to visit President Roslin. Roslin had agreed to see the doctor after Admiral Adama had mentioned the man wanted to see her, just to check up on her and the unborn child she was carrying. He was worried about the stress that it could potentially cause both the President and the child.

Lee flew Cottle over to _Colonial One_ , and stayed to do some work on behalf of the President, and meeting with the Quorum to go over arrangements for the State Funeral that would take place Monday. The Quorum pledged their cooperation to the Vice-President during the period of mourning, Lee informing him that he was simply a caretaker for a short period of time.

On the bottom deck, the Marine guard escorted Sherman Cottle into the Presidential quarters. Laura was sitting at the kitchen table when he arrived. The hormonal imbalance from her pregnancy had already started to kick in, and even before Kara's death, she could cry or get angry at a moment's notice. When Cottle walked in, the site of the gruff, older doctor with tears brimming in his eyes sent her crying again, giving the man a warm, assuring hug.

"Madam President", he said, his voice even more like sandpaper, "I don't know what to say, except how very...how terribly sorry I am at your loss." He showed rare emotion, gently kissing her on the cheek. "Your wife was an incredible lady...she was a handful", he added, making Laura laugh through her tears, "but we're all diminished without her."

"Thank you, Sherman", Laura said kindly. "It's bad enough losing her, but to be dealing with these raging hormones at the same time", this time she made him chuckle, "it just makes it worse."

Kacey had been drawing at the table. The old doctor was absolutely smitten with the young girl-despite his hard reputation, he was a sucker for the children in The Fleet. She walked over to Cottle. "Can I have a hug, Doc Cottle?"

Sherman smiled, picking the quickly-growing girl up. "Of course you can." He squeezed her tight, Laura smiling at the sight. "Are you taking good care of your Mommy for me?"

"Uh-huh", she said as he gently put her down. "We miss Momma, but I make sure Mommy eats and sleeps." Both the adults laughed despite the pain of the words.

"That's good, because I can't always be here", he said, winking at Laura. "So you let me know when she's not doing what she is supposed to."

"You two ganging up on me?" Laura raised an eyebrow at both of them. Then she sighed, turning to her daughter. "Kacey, Doctor Cottle needs to examine Mommy. Can I have you go to your room for a short time?"

"Yes, Mommy", she said, with rare obedience for a five year-old, but knowing her Mommy need to be with the Doctor.

Cottle did as thorough check of Laura as he could, checking her vitals, drawing blood from her, and giving her a vaginal exam as well. Without stirrups, it was hard to do a proper exam, but they managed, Laura simply thinking of her wife as Cottle examined her.

It didn't take long, Laura putting her panties and Pencil skirt back on.

"From my exam, Madam President, there doesn't seem to be any stress on the fetus currently. Your blood pressure is elevated, but, considering what we're dealing with, that's not abnormal. Your BP is actually pretty good considering everything. I'll have this blood work done up, and if you need anything, like iron or something else as a supplement, I'll let you know. But for now, you and the baby are in good shape."

"Thank you, Doctor", she said gratefully. "Kacey wasn't lying", she said with a ghost of a smile. "She's harping on me to eat almost constantly." The older man chuckled.

"It's good for you and the baby, Laura. I'm glad I have a little spy planted here." Laura reached out and patted him on the knee.

"But I do want you to get a lot of rest, especially in the next ten days or so. If you need anything, you call at any hour. I, or Ishay, or one of the other doctors will be here ASAP, you got that?"

"Of course, Sherman, thank you." She again sighed. "I was so looking to raising this baby with Kara." Her emotions let loose again, Cottle not blinking eye as he embraced her. "Gods, this is so unfair."

"We'll get through this, Madam President. You've got an entire fleet of people in your corner."

She gave a small laugh. "It helps, it really does."

Cottle left, Laura calling Kacey out of her room, and they prepared a lunch which they ate in silence.

* * *

Monday, 1200, Aboard The Battlestar _Galactica_

The large assembly auditorium on _Galactica_ was overfilled with members of the military, political and civil dignitaries, and many everyday people from The Fleet. All of them were there to pay respects not only to Captain Kara Roslin, who had passed away, but to show their support for President Laura Roslin and her daughter, Kacey Roslin.

Precisely at 1200, an Honor Guard, made up of Lieutenant Karl Agathon, Chief Galen Tyrol, Captain Brendan Costanza, and Lieutenant Athena Agathon. Kat would have been in that group instead of Athena, but Doc Cottle had forbidden the younger woman from having to stand at attention for a long ceremony, as she was still recovering from her near-death from Radiation poisoning. She was present at the service, still in some physical pain. The pain she felt this day was far more personal than that.

Commander Saul Tigh led the Honor Guard into the room, with a casket containing some of Kara's personal belongings, with the three officers and the one mechanic at each corner, marching slowly in step, into the room.

"Honor Guard, halt!" Tigh was known to have a booming voice, and his words were heard easily to the back row of the gathering. "Honor Guard, at ease!"

A priestess read from the holy books. It wasn't well known, but Kara, despite her bad-girl image for so long, was deeply religious, and held a deep faith in the gods. Laura obviously was a great believer as well, but she didn't want the religious part of the service to last very long. She wanted to hear from several of Kara's colleagues. At the end, Admiral Adama, and then Laura herself, would speak.

Vice-President Lee Adama was the first speaker.

"I've known Kara Thrace-Roslin, for a number of years now. She was engaged to my brother Zak, who died in a Viper, just as Kara did. She wasn't just a friend-she was family. She could be the biggest pain-in-the-ass sometimes." The statement elicited laughter, especially from the pilots. "But there was no finer pilot in The Fleet. Maybe in the history of The Fleet. I will miss her smile, her ability, and her penchant for talking back to me constantly." Again more laughter greeted Lee. "May she rest eternally among the stars."

Admiral Adama came next. "Every pilot goes up knowing that it could be their last mission. Complicated machines, training exercises, and massive battles with the enemy can take even the best pilots. Kara was, quite frankly, the best I ever saw. Her dedication, her talent, and her love for you, the people of The Fleet, drove her to be the best. Yes, it's what made her, sometimes", he said with a cryptic smile, which elicited chuckles, "difficult to deal with. But you never doubted her loyalty or her dedication to duty. She demanded perfection-of herself, and those that were under her. One reason we are blessed with so many incredible pilots is due to her insistence on excellence.

"To President Roslin...to Laura", he said, choking back his emotion, "and to Kacey: both of you are loved throughout The Fleet. We mourn with you; we grieve with you; we unequivocally support you during this difficult time. Keep Kara in your heart, and in your soul, and she will always be with you."

Then Laura Roslin stepped to the podium, Admiral Adama holding Kacey on her lap.

"Anyone who knew Kara Thrace, could be driven to drink at times." Raucous laughter broke out, which Laura joined. "She really could. The things that made her such a great pilot-her drive, her cockiness, her single-mindedness, also could bring on a five-alarm migraine to even her closest friends." The laughter continue to ripple across the room.

"And yet, despite that difficult countenance, Kara was also a loving, gentle, selfless Human Being, who had a deep faith in the gods, and in her fellow Human Beings. I saw her strength, first-hand, after she endured not one, but two nightmarish imprisonments on New Caprica. The gods know so many of us went through our own hell, and I will not diminish what any one of us went through, but she came out of that ordeal first with a beautiful daughter-our daughter Kacey." Laura looked tenderly at the young blonde, who reminded Laura so much of her wife. "And she came out a wiser, more loving person, which I was blessed to have found, and to make part of myself when we married."

She took a break. Up to this point, her emotions had been steady, but seeing that empty casket in front of her...and with her hormones going every which way, she began to lose her composure. "I have never had anyone so completely take my heart and my soul as Kara did. She loved as she lived-fiercely and without reserve or restraint. She injected into this woman who is standing in front of you, a fountain of youth, that made me feel younger, stronger, and more courageous when I was in her presence. She was the living, breathing epitome of our fight to survive as a people."

The tears started to fall.

"To know...to know I will never hold her, or kiss her, or tell her how much I desperately love her is a bitterness that I would not wish anyone to endure. But I am fortified by all of you, and the love you have shown Kacey, myself, and, by extension, to Kara. I will never love again, as much as I loved my dear, amazing wife."

She righted herself, making the tears stop. "My dear, sweet, loving Starbuck: may you fly among the stars forever. I love you, baby", she said, more tears falling. "I miss you."

Lee rose to assist her back to her chair, hugging her before turning and walking her back. Laura again pulled herself to her full height, and strode back to her seat, Kacey jumping into her arms lovingly, making many in the audience cry.

Finally, Admiral Adama rose one last time. "Today, we commit to the vacuum of space, the memory, and the spirit, of Colonel Kara Thrace-Roslin, Call Sign Starbuck. May she peacefully inhabit the Universe for all time. So say we all."

The Colonial Anthem was played, the four in the Honor Guard folding the flag that lay over the casket. It was folded neatly and precisely in the tradition of the military. When it was secured, Helo handed it to the Admiral, slowly saluting the military Boss. He walked over to Laura, and handed her the flag.

"Madam President, please accept this flag on behalf of our people, to honor Kara's sacrifice."

Laura Roslin took it, Kacey leaning her head sadly against her Mommy.

Bill pulled himself up to his full height, and gave Laura a long, slow salute, holding it for a few, extra painful seconds. Then he returned to the podium.

"All rise", he said in his best command voice. Everyone in the room rose as one.

He nodded to Tigh. "Honor Guard, form ranks!"

The four friends of Kara stood shoulder to shoulder. When they were in line, Helo turned to face the other three. They readied their weapons for a 21-gun salute. " _Guard! Ready...aim...fire! Ready...aim...fire! Ready...aim...fire_!"

They brought their weapons back to rest in perfect unison.

The equivalent of Taps was played. In moments, the Honor Guard rolled the casket to one of the a launch tube, which was not far away.

When it was confirmed the casket was secure in the tube, Bill Adama spoke one more time. "Attention, all hands! Render honors to Colonel Kara Thrace-Roslin, Call Sign Starbuck...and salute!"

The casket was jettisoned into space.


	2. Chapter 2

II

Three Weeks Later

**Dr. Cottle had given Kat the OK** to begin slowly exercising again to build back her strength so she could eventually begin flying again. She was no longer confined to the Med bay, but the doctor had told her to slowly work her way into flying shape.

Kat wasn't as worried about that, as she was about being able to have sex again with Brendan. They did want to get married, and had been trying to get pregnant before the Algae Planet fiasco. Cottle had cleared her for both, but warned her he would be checking up on her more that often than he would another expectant mother-once she got pregnant.

With Brendan being CAG now, upon Kara's death, she wanted the marriage and the baby even more, because, well, one never knew, did they.

Brendan had come off of CAP, and after debrief, headed over to Joe's Bar to meet Kat. She had decided not to drink any alcohol while trying to get pregnant, but they also had some decent food there as well.

"How'd it go, babe?" Brendan already had a cold one in his hand as he sat next to his lady.

"Routine, nothing too cute. Nomad blew his number two engine, Chief thinks the fuel line got corrupted somehow, but he made it back on deck OK. Other than that, not a peep from our mechanical friends."

"That's good to here, Brendan", she said with a smile, raising her glass of a fruit drink to his, clinking them together.

"What have you been up to while I was fighting the vacuum of space, my dear?"

Kat snorted a laugh at his eloquence. "Did some workouts, but nothing too heavy." Then her face turned sorrowful. "I went by and visited Starbuck's picture on the wall. God's, who thought that I would miss her so much?"

Brendan shook his head. "Kat, I could see, a long time ago, that you two were so much alike-and you are-that once the two of you came to terms, that you'd be good friends. She thought you were one of the best pilots she's ever seen."

"I know that now", Kat said, thinking back on all the disagreements between she and the blonde. "We were really starting to bond, you know? I can't imagine what the President and Kacey are going through."

"I met yesterday with the President and the Old Man, to go over some routine stuff, along with Helo and Athena. She's hanging in there, but you can see it's killing her on the inside. I did give her condolences for both of us, and told her if she ever wants to have us babysit Kacey for a while, we'd be glad to help."

"Really?"

"Yeah", he said with a smile. "She asked how you were recovering, and she mentioned that Kara had been happy with how you two had reconciled."

"With all she's going through, and she has time to think about me?" Kat shook her head. She changed the subject. "So", she said in a lower voice, "now that we're cleared to try, we need to get, uh, working on that part of it."

"It's a dirty job", Hot Dog deadpanned, "but someone's gotta do it."

Kat playfully slugged him in the arm. "Dirty, huh?" She leaned in close to him, with a feral grin on her face. "I'll show you just how dirty I can get, Costanza."

"Oh, twist my arm, Katraine", he said with a grin of his own. They both laughed, finished their drinks, and went in search of somewhere to work on having a baby.

* * *

Margaret Edmonson and Hamish McCall had the same idea at that very moment as Kat and Brendan. Unlike those two pilots, no on knew that Racetrack and Skulls had become more than partners inside a Raptor, and had become intimately close.

Right now, they were as close as two people could be, lying naked in another abandoned room in the lower decks of the Flagship, just having finished a long, loud, physical round of love-making.

"We ever gonna tell anyone, Marge? I mean, people know we spend a lot of time together", Skulls said, while Racetrack laid her head on his broad chest.

"Eventually", Racetrack said, her hand idly playing with the now flaccid flesh between his legs. "I kinda enjoy having you all to myself, party boy."

Hamish laughed. "My real party days are over, baby. You've cured me of those, Margaret."

"Well, I do have a few talents outside of flying a Raptor", she snickered.

"You handle my stick just fine, girl." She lightly slapped his stomach, Skulls giving a over-dramatic "oof" in return.

"So, my dear Skulls", Margaret purred, "are we officially trying for a kid?"

"It would be fine by me, hon." He sobered up a little. "After what happened to Starbuck-I think about the President and their daughter. It would be nice having a legacy around if one of us bought it."

That made Racetrack think of something that hadn't crossed her mind before. "If we wanna have a child, we have to stop flying together, babe. I mean, both of us could buy it at the same time."

"I hadn't thought of that", McCall said seriously. "Honestly, there's no one I'd rather fly with, but you're right. Maybe we can talk to Helo about switching assignments?"

"Good idea", she agreed, snuggling closer to her. "And I want us to get married, too, my dear. I really do."

"Let's work on the transfer, then we'll talk about tying the knot."

"Losing Kara put a huge hole in our protection, you know that?"

Skulls nodded. "An understatement. She and I never got along great, but she's the best natural pilot I've ever seen. She was a witch flying a Viper."

"I really miss her", Margaret said wistfully. "She kept you on your toes, and her attitude could be contagious."

"No doubt about that. By the way, what's up with Narcho? Dude has been in a bad way for a while. You see him almost smile at the memorial service?" He shook his head.

"I did see that. Hot Dog says he's gonna talk to him soon, but he's been so busy taking over as CAG, and worrying about Kat."

"I hope he can straighten the guy out. We don't need any bad eggs right now."

"Well", Margaret said, stretching her small, toned body over top of him, "let's stop thinking about bad eggs right now, lover. You ready for another round?"

"Oh, so say we all, girlie." They both giggled as Racetrack descended his body to prep him for another go.

* * *

There wasn't an educated person in The Fleet who hadn't heard of Attorney Romo Lampkin. The former protégé of the legendary attorney Joseph Adama, father of William Adama, grandfather of Lee Adama, was one of the most sought-after defense attorneys before the attack on The Colonies.

He was eccentric, colorful, a veritable rock star, but who had, at heart, a deep-seeded respect for the truth and law.

It was no surprise that Gaius Baltar had inquired about making him his defense lawyer.

That afternoon, Admiral Adama had agreed to bring Lampkin aboard _Galactica_ , so that Gaius could interview the man. There were guards outside of the brig, but Adama had insisted that they not be within earshot of the attorney and his potential client. He wanted to play this one by the book.

"Mr. Lampkin", Gaius said formally, "thank you for meeting with you today. I am glad you survived our misfortune on The Colonies."

"Yes, well, Mr. Baltar, I do have pretty good survival instincts, something we obviously share in common." Like Baltar, Lampkin was from Aeration, and had the same rough-hewn accent that Gaius had, but had learned not to use over the years.

"Indeed?" Gaius gave him a small smile. "So, let me ask you, Mr. Lampkin, are you interested in taking this case? I imagine you are, but I want to hear why?"

"That's simple, Mr. Baltar", he said, finally taking off his signature sunglasses. "I believe every man deserves a fair trail, whether they may be guilty or innocent. It is incumbent on a society to be fair when trying someone."

"So, you believe I'm innocent?"

"I didn't say that", Lampkin added quickly. "I can tell you that, if I do take your case, I expect you to withhold nothing from me, so I can defend you to the best of my ability." He looked at the former President intently. "I don't like you as a person, Mr. Baltar", he stated flatly, Baltar flinching at his honesty, "but I don't have to like you to defend you. Have you talked to other lawyers?"

"I have", Gaius confirmed, "but when I found out you were among us in The Fleet, I knew you'd be my first choice."

"Then before I accept, Mr. Baltar", the man said in that same gravel-like voice, "I want you to give me some good-faith information about why you think you're not guilty of the charge of Treason?"

For the next two hours, the two men went back and forth over some of the particulars, Lampkin jotting down some notes during their interview.

By the end of the two hours, Romo Lampkin was Gaius Baltar's Attorney for the case, Mr. Lampkin informing Admiral Adama of that fact.

With Baltar having representation, both sides could begin the work of collecting evidence and preparing for a trial.

* * *

President Laura Roslin, at least when in the public eye, was the same stoic, steady leader she had been since ascending to the presidency. Her demeanor in front of the Quorum was still precise and professional. The persona she displayed to the people of The Fleet during news broadcasts and any interviews had not changed one iota. Even when officially dealing with Admiral Adama and the military, she was the same person.

Even when taking care of Kacey, be it in private, or the times they were seen in public, Laura showed them that she was a doting, loving mother, which was as true as anything in the world. She adored the little girl, and was fiercely protective of her. They had a wonderful relationship, Laura making sure now, with Kara gone, that when Kacey got out of class, she was there to pick her up, take her home, go over the day with her daughter, and then, if any other Presidential business needed attending, she would do so later in the afternoon or evening. Everyone had understood the adjustments that needed to be made, and no one thought twice about it.

But at night, alone, in her bedroom, Laura Roslin was a broken, bereft woman.

Every night since Kara had died, Laura spent hours crying before she fell asleep. Not having the beautiful, younger woman, who had brought such joy and passion to her life, was draining the life out of her, far more than her long-since removed Cancer had ever done. Yet who did the President of a people go to for solace? Whom did she go to if she was having a bad day at work, or if Kacey was being incorrigible at a given time?

She thought of calling Dr. Tribe, who had helped Kara, and who was working still with Danny Novacek, but Laura felt that wasn't proper for a president. So she simply suffered every night, and soldiered on during the day.

For Kacey's sake, she dare not start drinking, which would have taken, at least temporarily, some of the pain away for short periods of time. She couldn't do that to her late wife's flesh and blood. It would disgrace her own name, and sully Kara's name.

President Roslin thought she was doing a pretty good job of hiding her daily grief, but there were some very astute people in The Fleet.

Both Adama's noticed.

In his few interactions with the President, CAG Brendan Costanza didn't see the same person.

Neither did Saul Tigh, nor Karl Agathon, nor members of the Quorum.

One morning, Tory Foster approached the President just after she arrived at her office for work.

"Madam President", Tory said in her usual, formal voice. "I've been notified that Admiral Adama, the Vice-President, and Quorum President Tierney are requesting to see you as soon as possible." Tierney was Jessica Tierney, who was an able and fair-minded Quorum President, which hadn't always been the case.

"Did they say what they wanted to talk about?"

"I have no clue, Madam President", Tory said, which was the truth, and highly unusual. Anyone who wanted to see the President wanted Laura to know what they wanted. This seemed odd-well, as odd as anything in this fraking insanity could be.

"Well, I guess have them in here in an hour? That will let me catch up on some of these Intel briefings, and other matters that came in overnight."

"I'll let them know right away, Madam President."

Almost precisely one hour later, the three Individuals were in Laura's office aboard _Colonial One._ Her guests seemed subdued, but then again, everyone had been subdued since the rescue on New Caprica.

"Good morning, everyone", the President said with a smile, as the three leaders sat down on the other side of her desk. Tory had already made sure everyone had water to drink. "How may I be of service today."

Admiral Adama and Quorum President Tierney turned to Lee. "Madam President, we know how the last two weeks have weighed on you, after Kara's death", Lee began gently. "And we're aware of the stress it's put on you, especially with you being almost six months pregnant."

"I must admit", she said wryly, "this has been extremely stressful, you're right."

"We would like you to consider, Madam President...Laura", Lee amended, "that with three months to go in your pregnancy, that you consider stepping aside until after the baby is born. We will not", Lee stressed emphatically, "ask you to do so, but our primary concern is the your health, and the health of your unborn child. We have discussed this, and this is completely your decision."

"Wow", Laura said, with mild shock. "That wasn't what I remotely expected." She stood up from her desk, then walked over to the window, overlooking the emptiness of space, wondering if Kara was traveling with her. She desperately wanted this baby, even more so, now that Kara was gone. Even though it wasn't Kara's biological child, this child was still going to be an extension of the love they had shared. It was incumbent on her to take care of herself-not only for the baby on the way, but for Kacey, and for her own sanity.

"I think you might be right, Lee", Laura conceded, 'but I have one request."

"Anything, Madam President."

"Give me maybe two days to think about it?" She again took her seat. " I know that this does make sense, but I still would like some time to ponder it."

"Laura", Quorum President Tierney said softly, "take all the time you need-not three months, mind you", she added, which broke the tension, "but seriously, I can't imagine the stress on you at this time. We haven't always seen eye-to-eye, which I guess is normal for politics, but I've been worried about you since Kara died."

"Thank you, Jessica", Laura said gratefully. "You and the Quorum have been more than fair since all this happened." She turned to Bill Adama. "Admiral? Anything to add?"

He shook his head. "No, Laura, not really. As Lee said, we've discussed this, and our sole concern is your health, and that of the baby, and Kacey's well-being. You've been through a lot. Maybe it's time to lay down your burdens temporarily?"

"Very well", Roslin said, feeling a great weight lifted from her shoulders. "Give me two days, and I will formally give you my answer. I believe I will go along with your suggestion, but like I said, it's still a big decision.

* * *

Two days later, Laura informed the Quorum, with the Vice-President and Admiral present, that she was temporarily stepping aside, until after the baby was born.

"And so, with the advice of the Quorum, the Vice-President, and Admiral Adama, I will be stepping down as President for the remainder of my pregnancy. As I mentioned, my primary job is being a mother to Kacey, and to the child I am carrying. If I don't take care of my children, I can't take care of myself, or my job."

Those in Joe's Bar had watched the broadcast with downcast expressions. They trusted Lee Adama-he was one of them, after all, but the toll on them in dealing with Starbuck's death had been difficult. None of them could imagine what President Roslin had been going through.

"Think of how I'd feel if I lost you while pregnant", Kat said to Brendan, as they sat with Skulls, Racetrack, and Narcho.

"Hon, I don't even want to think about it", Hot Dog responded, giving an involuntary shudder.

"I still can't imagine how she's even getting through the day", Margaret Edmonson said sadly. In the last few weeks, she and Skulls had let the news out that they were a couple, which was a poorly-held secret to most pilots and mechanics, and they, too would try to have a child.

"Best thing we can do for the Prez", Hamish said, "is do our jobs and make sure she and her kids are safe."

"Can't we talk about anything else?" Noel Allison didn't hid his irritation with the subject. None of them knew of his orthodox, traditionalist upbringing, but he was over hearing about Laura Roslin and Starbuck.

"Who put a burr up your ass", Kat said, trying to lightly chide their colleague.

"I just don't know why we go on about it. It's not like they're the only ones with kids."

"I didn't say that, Narcho", Skulls responded, keeping his voice low. "I simply said that it would take a load off of Roslin's mind if we keep kicking the shit out of the Toasters."

"I didn't say I wouldn't do my job", he added defensively, "but gods, doesn't the fact that the President and Starbuck were married give you the creeps?"

That genuinely shocked his friends. They had never heard him talk like that.

"C'mon, Noel", Hot Dog said in an offhanded manner, not trying to put too much stock in his friend's comment. "You can't help who you fall in love with man."

"You're telling me", Kat said with a dry voice, making the others, except for Narcho, laugh.

"It isn't normal, or natural, if you ask me", he said, anger appearing in his voice this time. "I think it's creepy."

He got up with his drink and skulked off, leaving the other four with their mouths agape.

"What the hell is up with him?" Skulls looked hard at his other friends.

"I don't know", Brendan said, keeping his eyes on the back of Allison as he disappeared from sight. "I've been trying to find out what's been bothering him for a couple months now. He won't open up about it."

"Whatever it is", Kat added, "he needs to get over himself. We don't need that attitude when we're in dogfights with The Cylons."

Brendan hadn't taken his eyes away from the spot where he last saw Narcho. Something definitely not right with his friend.


	3. Chapter 3

III

Three Weeks Later

“ **Well, young lady”, Doc Cottle** smiled at Kat, “you are definitely with child.”

“Thanks for the good news, Doc”, Louanne Katraine said happily.

“Don't get too excited, remember what I told you a short while back? You'll be in here twice a week, without exception. Everything you've been through, I don't wanna take any chances.”

“That's no biggie, Doc”, Kat said dismissively, “we're on the same side with this. I want this baby to be healthy.”

“Any names picked out?”

“Well”, she sighed, “if it's a boy, we want to name him Kenton, after Brendan's father, and if it's a girl?” Her face turned sad. “We want to name her Kamryn.”

That made Cottle look up. “Hmm”, he said, not one to give in to emotional displays, “you could do a lot worse.” He gave her a small smile. “Remember, I want you here, every Monday, and every Thursday. No excuses.”

“Sound good, Doc”, she said, saluting him as she left.

“I don't know how I'm gonna handle all these young ladies getting pregnant one after another”, he mumbled, as he went back to some other work.

* * *

Dr. Tribe had been working with Danny Novacek, Call Sign Bulldog, since the week after he returned to The Fleet. The man had a lot of issues, the doctor knew that, but she was amazed at how strong, in some ways, he still remained mentally. He didn't ramble when he talked; he didn't nervously pace; he didn't go into wild fits. Each time, he talked to the therapist calmly and rationally. He admitted to her, on more than one occasion, that he knew The Cylons had set him up, and had done exactly what they had wanted him to do.

He would occasionally get angry or emotional, which wasn't unexpected, but he hadn't had a breakdown, as Kara had gone through, during her therapy after coming back from New Caprica.

The good doctor didn't know exactly how to feel about his usually calm demeanor. While he had admitted that he had been through a lot, he just seemed too...calm about everything. Yet that in and of itself could mean nothing.

She had come to a conclusion about his next step when meeting with him, at almost the same time Cottle was meeting with Kat.

“Danny, I've been honest and up front with you all this time, and while I still do think we need to have more sessions, I want you to start socializing with the crew on _Galactica_. That doesn't mean I want you hanging out in CIC, and shooting the breeze with the Admiral.” That made Bulldog chuckle. “But perhaps talking to some of the pilots and mechanics, and talking shop would be helpful to you-and to them. You have more pilot experience than anyone on here, save for maybe the Vice-President and the Admiral. What is your opinion on that?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “I think I might like that. Yeah, the war has pretty much depleted our stock of vets-losing Starbuck didn't help matters-and I'd like to talk about flying, or about when the mechanics fix the birds. I don't have a problem with us continuing to talk, either.” He raised an eyebrow at her. “I would imagine that you would have to clear that with the Old Man?”

Caroline Tribe nodded. “Yes, that is the case, but I don't foresee a problem with that.”

Danny smiled at her. “That sounds like a deal. I know that might take a day or two, and I imagine he'll have to run it by Lee, but what's a few more days?”

Tribe smiled at her patient. “Thanks for your patience, Danny. I'm sure Admiral Adama can fast-track this for you. I don't expect it to take more than a day.”

“Sound good, Dr. Tribe”, he said with a polite nod.

The psychologist left the quarters that he had been assigned to after being released from the brig, which were still under guard, and walked back to her office on _Galactica_. For the moment, she felt good about the progress she had made with Bulldog.

* * *

The Trial of Gaius Baltar had been an emotional roller coaster for the entire fleet. Doc Cottle had urged President Roslin, who had stepped away from her position as she continued her pregnancy, which was now closing in on seven months, to stay away from the trial, so it would not cause her undo stress. Either way, Laura knew, it would cause her stress, but she obeyed the doctor's orders.

Admiral Adama had been right when he told Lee that the trial would be a circus no matter what, but no one could have imagined that the Vice-President himself, Lee Adama, would turn the tide for the defense.

Baltar's Attorney, Romo Lampkin, had called Lee to the stand as a surprise witness. Not even Lee was sure why he had been called. Yet Romo Lampkin was playing a hunch. He knew Lee Adama was, perhaps, the most honest person in the entire fleet, and he knew that the younger Adama had a great respect for the law because of his grandfather's influence.

Despite, as he called them, “tactical victories”, Romo Lampkin knew his client faced an almost impossible task-a entire fleet, including the three military judges, who hated his guts, and who, if they could say it out loud, wanted him tossed out an airlock.

So it was time, as they said in the game of Pyramid, for a desperation shot.

“Your honors”, Lampkin began, his trusty can by his side as he approached the bench, “I am going to take the unusual step in calling Vice-President Lee Adama to the stand.”

Lee was in the audience, along with Tory Foster. Consternation broke out in the room, as everyone, without exception-including Gaius Baltar, was stunned. On the surface, none of this made any sense.

Lee looked over at Tory. “Are you fraking kidding me?”

Tory couldn't answer that one-no one else could, save, it appeared, Romo Lampkin.

When the tumult died down, Captain Doyle Franks, the chief Judge for the trial, looked hard at the attorney. “Call your witness, Counselor.”

Lampkin turned to the Vice-President who was on the side of the prosecution. “Mr. Adama, if you please?”

Lee looked angrily at the Defense Attorney, but moved toward the stand, where he took the oath.

“Mr. Adama, as sitting Vice-President, you are sworn to uphold the Colonial Constitution and that law of our people. You are known for your honesty and integrity. Now, there are many out here”, Lampkin said dramatically, turning toward the gallery, “who don't believe Gaius Baltar deserves a fair trial. That we should just...toss him out the airlock. Indeed, President Roslin tried to do that immediately after Baltar was back onboard.”

“Your Honors”, Prosecuting Attorney Didi Cassidy said with exasperation, “is the Defense going to ask a question or not?”

“Counselor”, Captain Franks warned, “please, state your question.”

“My apologies your honors.” He turned back to Lee. “Do you believe, Mr. Vice-President, that the defendant, Gaius Baltar deserves a fair trial?”

Gaius looked at Lee, certain that a chorus of condemnation was coming from another man who, quite frankly, hated his guts.

“As a matter of fact, I do.”

Lampkin didn't wait one beat. “Why”, he said loudly.

“Well, aside from the fact that everyone deserves a fair trial, I also happen to believe he is not guilty of the charges and should be acquitted.”

The room exploded in a cacophony of noise, which Judge Franks pounding her gavel. When things had quieted down again, Lampkin continued.

“Vice-President Adama, why do you believe the defendant, Gaius Baltar, deserve to be acquitted.”

Lee gave a small smirk. “Well because the evidence does not support the charges.”

That wasn't what Lampkin was looking for. Felix Gaeta had openly lied on the stand, and gotten away with it. He knew the only thing that could trump what Gaeta said was to hear the unvarnished truth from the most trusted man in The Fleet.

“Come on”, he said, egging Lee on.

Lee snickered. “Did the defendant make mistakes? Sure he did. Serious mistakes. But did he actually commit any crimes? Did he commit treason? No.”

Dead silence met his words, so he continued. “I mean, It was an impossible situation. When The Cylons arrive, what could he possibly do? What could anyone have done?”

He looked out in the gallery. “Ask yourself what would any of you have done? If he had refused to surrender, The Cylons would probably have nuked the planet, right then and there. So did he appear to cooperate with The Cylons? Sure. So did hundreds of others.”

Nary a breath could be heard in the courtroom.

“What's the difference between him and them?” Again, he scanned the faces looking back at him. “The President issued a blanket pardon. They were all forgiven-no questions asked.

“Colonel Tigh: Colonel Tigh used suicide bombers, killing dozens of people. Forgiven; Lieutenant Agathon, and Chief Tyrol murdered an office on the _Pegasus_. Forgiven; The Admiral”, he said, turning to face his father who was one of the judges. “The Admiral instigated a _coup d'état_ against the President! Forgiven!

“And me? Well”, he said sadly, “where do I begin? I shot down a civilian ship, the _Olympic Carrier_ , over a thousand people onboard. Forgiven; I raise my weapon to a superior Officer in an act of mutiny. Forgiven; And then on the very day when Baltar surrendered to The Cylons”, he thundered, “I as Commander of _Pegasus_ jumped away. I left everybody on that planet alone, undefended for months! I even tried to persuade the Admiral _never_ to return! To abandon you all there for eternity. If I'd had my way, nobody would have made it off that planet.

“I'm the coward; I'm the traitor. I'd say we're very forgiving of mistakes. We make our own laws now, our own justice, and we've been pretty creative in finding ways to let people off the hook, from everything from theft to murder. And we've had to be, because we're not a civilization anymore. We are a _gang,_ and we're on the run, and we have to fight to survive! We have to break rules, we have to bend laws-we have to improvise.

“But not this time, no”, he said, looking directly at Gaius Baltar. “Not this time. Not for Gaius Baltar.” Lee pointed directly at the man. “You-you have to die. You _have_ to die because, well, we don't like you very much. Because you're arrogant. Because you're weak. Because you're a coward. And we the mob want to throw you out the airlock, because you didn't stand up to The Cylons and get yourself killed in the process! That's justice now! You should have been killed back on New Caprica, but since you had the temerity to live, we're gonna execute you now! That's justice!”

Laura Roslin was in her quarters on _Colonial One_ , not believing she could be anywhere near the trial going on aboard _Galactica_ , her Marine guard in the room playing with Kacey while she watched and listened. As furious as she was, she couldn't do or say much. She had told Lee Adama many times that he was the most honest man in The Fleet, and she knew he would tell the truth. She would be mad at him for a while, but she was, in a perverse way, very proud of him.

In the end, Gaius Baltar was found Not Guilty. Laura turned her wrath on Admiral Adama, who, unbelievably, in her eyes, had voted to Acquit.

Gaius Baltar was a free man, which galled her. She couldn't have known that within days, he would be the furthest thing from her mind.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since, again, Samuel T died on New Caprica in this story, the specter of AU creeps in once again. It took me a while to figure out where this chapter went, as far as that goes.

IV

**The Fleet had made numerous jumps** to position itself toward the Ionian Nebula, which all had agreed was a marker to Earth. They were now poised for the last jump to the marker.

Laura Roslin had stayed away from the trial, as Doc Cottle had ordered. He didn't want any undo stress on her pregnancy in the aftermath of Kara's death. The not guilty verdict had made her wanted to throw something against a wall, but instead, she went to CIC on _Galactica_ , to vent at the Admiral. She was incensed he had voted for acquittal.

Adama looked at it pragmatically. “No one is asking anyone to forget, or to forgive”, he said, as Roslin turned away from him in anger. A few moments later she turned back, so much unsaid between them. They had the most complicated relationship in The Fleet. At the beginning, the proud Admiral had been unwilling to accept that a school teacher, forty-third in line for the Presidency, had become President after the attack on The Colonies. He had even instigated a _coup_ _d'état_ against Roslin at one time. Yet for all that, they had come to a mutual, if grudging, respect and even admiration for each other, both realizing they both wanted the same thing: the salvation of their people.

They looked at each other, coming, it seemed, to an unspoken understanding. “Now? We have to look to the future.” He turned his glance to Karl Agathon. “Mr. Agathon?”

“Yes, sir?” Helo looked between the two leaders.

“Commence jump prep. We are going to the Ionian Nebula.”

“Yes sir”, Helo said with some trepidation. There was a flurry of activity. A few moments later, Helo turned to the Admiral. “Jump coordinates have been distributed, sir. All Fleet ships show green for jump formation delta.”

Adama and Roslin made their way to the Admiral's spot in the room.

“Initiate jump”, Adama said in calm tones, Laura to his left. Currently, Saul Tigh was not in CIC. Adama expected the man, who had the day off, to be there in a matter of minutes.

“Aye sir”, Helo responded. “Jumping in 3...2...1...jump.”

A few moments later, the ships came to at the new coordinates.

“Jump complete”, Helo said looking at his readouts carefully. “All ships reporting in, sir.”

“Very well, Mr. Agathon, commence Dradis scan. Let's see what's out there.”

All of a sudden, the lights flickered, then everything went dark-not only on _Galactica_ , but on every ship in The Fleet.

* * *

Chaos reigned on _Galactica_ , as crew members scrambled to and fro, trying to figure out what the hell had caused the entire ship to go dark.

Yet in the middle of that chaos, four crew members began to wander aimlessly, or so it seemed, through the ship, being called by a melody that only they could apparently hear. It was a surreal scene, while those around them scrambled to their duty stations, that they walked against the tide, like salmon against the current, being drawn by something they couldn't comprehend.

* * *

Vice-President Lee Adama was also on _Galactica_ , and he headed to CIC to see what in the name of the gods was going on. His military instincts immediately fired off, and he knew he might be of some help at CIC. The Fleet, which, for now, he was in charge of, was in mortal danger, and he knew it. He had to put on his military thinking cap for the moment.

Chaos reigned in CIC. Normally CIC what was often referred to as “organized chaos”, but not this time. People were frantically moving about, trying to diagnose what was happening. His father was in the middle of the mayhem, looking calm, but Lee could see the tension in his face.

His father nodded at him, acknowledging his presence. Lee immediately canvassed the room to see where he could assist.

* * *

The three of them looked at each other in abject disbelief as they stepped through the doors in a room on the lowest deck of the ship.

“This isn't happening”, one of them said, looking for reassurance at the other two. “Please tell me this isn't happening?”

Another one looked down. “Huh”, he said, in almost an amused voice. “So that's it.” The other two looked at him hard. “After all this time, a switch goes off, and just like that...”

* * *

Saul Tigh opened the heavy metallic door, and stepped through...

“Whoa...” His voice was one of almost awe at what he was witnessing.

Saul Tigh, Galen Tyrol, Tory Foster, and Layne Ishay looked at each other in disbelief.  
  
Into the silence, Galen spoke again. “We're Cylons. And we have been from the start.”

* * *

Up at CIC, the moment after Galen Tyrol said those words, the lights flickered back on, everyone looking up in shock.

“Give me a damage report immediately”, Admiral Adama commanded.

Moments later, Dee responded. “The power outage was fleet-wide, Admiral”, she said in professional tones. She turned with wonder to look at her Admiral. “It was also restored simultaneously to all ship, sir.”

Laura Roslin was the first to notice, as she was looking up.

“Admiral! Admiral!”

The alarm in her voice got everyone's attention.

On the heels of Roslin's alarm, Helo shouted out. “Dradis contact! Massive Cylon fleet on intercept course!”

“Mr. Agathon, sound action stations immediately”, he said, a cold pit now in his stomach. “I want an emergency jump.”

Helo looked at him with a ghost-like appearance. “Sir, all fleet ships were powered down during the outage. It'll take at least twenty minutes to spool up their FTL drives.”

Bill Adama looked at him hard. “We don't _have_ twenty minutes.”

* * *

Helo ordered Condition One throughout the ship. Without any thought or clearing it with anyone, Vice-President Lee Adama raced from CIC to the locker he still had in the pilot's room, knowing that right now, he needed to defend The Fleet. This is what he was best at. He would defer to Hot Dog, who was CAG, but he would not keep a suit and tie on while The Fleet was under a massive attack.

No one even blinked twice upon seeing him approach a Viper.  
  
  


* * *

Despite the tense situation, some order had been restored to CIC.

“Arm and load all nuclear weapons”, Admiral Adama said, as Tory and Tigh walked rather numbly back to CIC, Tyrol and Kat having done the same things.

“Yes sir”, Helo said smartly, giving the order.

A few moments later, every Viper that was available launched to interdict the Cylon threat. In CIC, Helo looked with squinted eyes at the Dradis display, turning to Aaron Kelly. “Whose in Viper 3?”

Kelly looked at the display. That ship was usually reserved for Lee Adama.

Aaron shrugged his shoulders.

* * *

“Hot Dog, Apollo”, Lee said, raising the CAG. “I just want to let you know I'm out here in number 3, let me know where you need me.”

“ _Roger, Apollo_ ”, Hot Dog said, no overt surprise in your voice. “ _Head to 155, carom 231 and cover port for now_.”

Apollo did as the CAG told him, and headed out in that direction. As he settled in, he noticed a lone bogey, well off in the distance, with no ident as either friend or foe. He kept a close eye on it.

The bogey kept moving in. He made a quick visual check, but saw nothing.

“ _Galactica_ and Hot Dog, Apollo”, Lee said, coming to a decision, “I have a bogey at my ten, I'm gonna check it out.”

Lee ran an intercept course at a ninety-degree angle to the bogey, as it steadily moved toward crossing Lee's path. Yet he still couldn't see anything. Without warning, the Dradis contact vanished.

“Where'd he go?” _Maybe a false image,_ he thought quickly. It had happened many times. “Where the frak did you go?”

Lee made another visual, looking in all directions now, ready to make a one-eighty of the contact didn't reappear on Dradis, or if he didn't get a visual.

Without warning, and no Dradis contact, a ship buzzed right over his cockpit, disappearing as quickly as it had appeared.

“Whoa! What the frak!” Now he was really wondering what the frak was going on.

He continued to frantically look in all directions, sure he hadn't imagined the sighting. _The damn thing almost took my nose off!_

As he was looking to his right-above him, below him, another ship slowly pulled even with lee on the left-hand side.

As the ship's nose appeared to his left, it caught his attention. He did a double-take, his heart almost jumping out of his throat.

To his left was a pristine, brilliant white Viper-it looked brand new. There was no pilot identification written under the cockpit glass. The person in the cockpit turned toward him....

“Hi, Lee...”

_It couldn't be..._

“Kara?”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't normally put notes in, but I've gone too long without updating this. The new job didn't work out; I've been under the weather; and I got side-tracked with a sudden Epiphany for a story on another fandom. Hopefully, I'll be back to regular updates.

V

**“I've been to Earth. I know where it is. I'm gonna take us there.”**

Lee hadn't blinked in at least a minute, sure that he was seeing nothing more than a ghost, or that he was delusional.

But whatever it was, in that pristine white Viper, he answer it.

“No”, he said, still not blinking. “No, no no, this is fraking crazy. I saw you ship blow up”, he almost yelled at the... _could it really be Kara_?

“Afraid not”, Starbuck...if it _was_ Starbuck, replied to him. “Did you not hear me? I've been to Earth.”

* * *

Onboard _Galactica_ , everyone was looking at everyone else, and, like Lee in his Viper, not blinking, their mouths hanging open.  
  
 _“You're gonna love it, I promise.”_ Everyone was sure they were hearing a voice from the grave.

Adama turned excitedly to Helo, with a scowl on his face. “Identify that ship! _Immediately_!”

“Sir”, Aaron Kelly said from his seat, “I'm checking for Colonial Recognition codes.”

“Get Lee on the Line”, Adama demanded.

“I'm trying, sir”, Dee said, who had already been attempting just that.

“I'm picking up her ship's signature”, Kelly said with a stunned look on his face.

“It's her voice, all right”, Helo said evenly, feeling his own nerves brewing up.

“Hold on. Hold on.” Laura Roslin spoke up for the first time since hearing her...wife's...voice? “It is not real. It is a trick.”

Everyone started at the President.

“Ma'am”, Helo said, remembering that, for the moment, Roslin wasn't President, “it sounds exactly like Kara, like your...”

She glared at the Lieutenant. “It is not her, Mr. Agathon”, she said coldly. “My wife blew up two months ago. This has to be a Cylon trick.”

Bill Adama hadn't heard any of that, as his eyes bored in on Kelly. “Duplicate verification!”

“Checking”, Kelly said, as rattled as he could ever remember. He turned to the Admiral. “It checks out as her Viper, sir.”

At that moment, Tigh and Tory returned from their clandestine meeting, still shaken, but trying to remain calm, glancing at each other as they took their spots.

“Hostile inbounds”, Kelly yelled, “two-hundred plus!"

“CAG”, Adama said to Hot Dog on the wireless, “take them out!”

“All players, _Galactica_ ”, Helo said without waiting for any orders, knowing it was unnecessary. “Threat B-R-3-5-0, carom 2-1-1.”

Over the speakers, they heard...that voice again. “ _Splash one! Take that, you frakin' Toaster_!”

“Admiral”, Laura insisted again, “it's a Cylon trick.”

Bill looked at her hard. Her words sounded very self-assured, but her eyes...her eyes betrayed the emotion of hearing her wife's voice again after two months.

The Admiral ordered Tigh to get every available bird, Raptor or Viper, into the air.

* * *

Layne Ishay was in the Med bay, preparing for casualties that were bound to be coming in. But her mind couldn't get over the revelation that she was a Cylon. It just didn't make any sense to the nurse, who lived in a structured, orderly existence, where things were based on science, not science-fiction like this. 

Like Tigh, she knew she could do her job, and would do her job. But what if others found out? What if she was suddenly ostracized from the people she truly cared for and worked hard for every single day?

What then?

* * *

In a day full of shocking things, Aaron Kelly thought, _this_ had to be the craziest. He turned full face the Admiral.

“Baseships are spinning up!”

Tigh whipped his head around to look up at the Dradis above him. “They're pulling out”, he said, with just the same stunned voice.

“We're gonna do the same damn thing before they change their mind.” Adama turned to Agathon. “Helo, have our fighters cover our withdrawal.”

“Yes sir.” He switched to all frequencies. “All fighters, assume rear cover formation.”

Tigh simply stared at the display, mouth agape. “They had us”, he said, voice again calm. “Game over. Why the _hell_ did they let us go?”

At the same moment a thought passed through his mind, and Tory Foster's.

Tory didn't want to say what she was about to say, lest someone see right through to her Cylon soul. “Maybe something's changed?”

“Like what?” Laura came out of her stupor to answer the strange question.

“I have no idea, Madam President”, he said, barely above a whisper, and it was partially true. He had no concrete why the Raiders had turned tail. “No idea.”

* * *

The only blemish on the Viper that bore the name “ _Captain Kara Thrace-Roslin Starbuck_ ”, was the large splotch of red from the Cylon Raider on the nose of the ship, and on the windshield. As the Viper was wheeled in, everyone stopped what they were doing, and began to gather.

First one at the ship was Chief Galen Tyrol. Even with the day he was having, he couldn't help but look suspiciously, and in utter shock when the canopy opened, and a familiar blonde head appeared. Even that wickedly confident smile radiated off of her, as she began to unstrap herself from her machine.

“Chief, I'm gonna need you to develop my gun camera footage ASAP”, she said, as if talking about the weather. “I've got a hell of a set of vacation pictures”, she continued lightly, beginning to descend the ladder. “I'll take my post-flight checklist”, she concluded, as she hit the deck.

Tyrol simply stared in shock at her. “I don't have one for you.” He was surprised he got that out.

Kara noticed everyone looking at her like she had two heads. Helo was there, Seelix, Racetrack, Skulls...

“What's up?” She wasn't quite sure what was going on.

Suddenly, someone grabbed her and swept her into his arms, Kara almost too late to realize it was Lee. “Okay. Okay, me too, it's okay, it's okay”, she said, now truly confused.

The throng parted and her wife was standing about ten feet in front of her, Kara smiling over at her, then noticing how big her belly had gotten. It didn't make sense...

“Honey, when did your belly get so big?”

Despite her desire not to fall for what she considered a Cylon deception, seeing the image of her beautiful wife, alive... “Well, I am seven months pregnant.”

“What the?” Kara looked at Laura confused. “Seven months?” She laughed.

At that moment, a voice called out from the catwalk above. “Starbuck!”

She looked up and smiled at the Old Man. “I did it, Boss”, she said with a triumphant smile. “I found Earth!” She gave a self-satisfied laugh.

Then the mood changed.

“Everybody move back”, the Admiral commanded, in his most serious voice. Immediately, people started to back off, and Marines drew their weapons, training them on Kara.

Anger swept across Starbuck's face.

“I need you in Sickbay”, Bill Adama continued, Tigh standing next to him. “Cottle's going to give you a complete physical.”

Kara snapped. “OK, what the hell is going on? I'm off the ship for a few hours, and everybody's acting...”

“A few hours?” Tyrol looked at her as if she was mad. “Captain, you were gone for almost two months.”

To be fair, not a single person in that room at the moment, had the first notion about what the frak was going on.

Kara felt a knot in her stomach. “That's impossible. My ship's clock reads six hours and change.”

“Then your clock is wrong, Kara”, Lee said gently, trying to calm everyone in the room. “Chief's telling you the truth. We thought you were dead.”

* * *

A few hours later, a despondent, massively confused Kara Thrace-Roslin sat in the Admiral Adama's quarters, not having the first idea what had happened, nor why she was there. Nothing was making any sense. Laura, seven months pregnant? There had been a memorial service for her? Lee saw her ship disintegrate in front of him? What the frak was going on?

Doc Cottle gave her a full physical examination, and found that Kara was, well, Kara.

Yet in a meeting with Admiral Adama, Helo, Lee, and Laura, Kara the weight of suspicion being thrown at her with the looks on the faces before her. The one on her wife's face, which showed not a trace of the love and devotion that Kara had known, was breaking her heart inside.

“So I'm not a Cylon, right?” Kara shook her head. “That is why you tested me, right?”

“Kara, no one said you were a Cylon”, Lee objected.

Kara hardly let him get the words out. “That's what they're thinking”, she countered, looking directly at her wife, who stared impassively back.

“Let's go through it again”, Laura said, the others, save Kara, stealing furtive looks at each other in seeing the coldness between the married women.

“Laura, how many times do you want to hear it?”

“As many times as it takes, Captain.”

The use of her rank, and not her name tore at Kara's heart. Where was her loving wife? What was going on?

They went over it several more times.

Finally, in sheer frustration, she turned to the men in the room. “Admiral”, she said, her head bowed, “can you gentlemen excuse us? I need to talk to my wife.”

The emphasis Starbuck put on the word “wife” made them all wince slightly. This wasn't going to be good, but they knew it might be necessary.

The three men stood up and silently exited the room.

For a good minute, there was nothing but silence between them. It was driving Kara mad.

“Laura”, she said in a soft, gentle voice, “talk to me, baby. What the frak is going on?”

“I was hoping you'd tell us, Starbuck”, Laura said coldly.

Kara had had enough, and she rose, walking up to her spouse. “Laura, I'm me. Kara. Your wife. Kacey is our daughter. We're married, and you're having our baby. Look, I don't know what the frak happened out there”, she said, her voice rising, pointing in no direction in particular. “As far as I know, and what I understand, I was gone six hours, not two months. I don't know anything beyond that.”

Laura turned away for a moment, a war raging inside her. She still wasn't convinced that the woman in front of her wasn't a Cylon. Yet the intense eyes, the beautiful hair, the strong voice...

“You gonna toss me out of an airlock, Madam President?” Kara's voice was now cold as a stone.

“Why the hell would I do that?”

“Oh, I don't know”, Kara said in a tone dripping with sarcasm, “you seem to have the knack to do that to Cylons. I've seen it first-hand.”

“That's enough, Captain, I won't...”

Kara blew up.

“Godsdammit, Laura, my name is Kara!” She held up her finger with the wedding ring on it. “Do you think this is as fake as me? You gave me this after we got off of New Caprica! Why can't you even say my name? That alone tells me you don't believe a fraking thing I say! This is so much bullshit!”

The verbal slap in the face brought Laura up short. Yet the war inside continued.

“OK...Kara”, she said awkwardly, “maybe you're right, that it's bullshit. But once this baby is born, I will be back in charge of The Fleet.”

Kara looked at her in surprise. “You're...you're not President now?”

Laura shook her head. “No. After...after your ship blew up”, she continued, Kara starting to see some overt emotion in her lover's eyes, “I fell apart. I wasn't doing the people or Kacey any good, so I handed the government over to Lee temporarily, on Doc Cottle's orders. He was worried about any stress on the baby.”

Kara wanted to scream again, but held back. “Gods”, she said with a hard breath. Kara stormed out of the room, not being able to take this cold shoulder any longer.

* * *

Roslin and Tory went to the hangar to look over the ship Kara had flown back to _Galactica_. Lee, Bill, Tigh, and Galen were there as well. Galen had cleaned the Cylon blood off the ship.

Bill Adama ran his hand over the bright white Viper, as Galen gave him a rundown. “I had my crew clean it up. There's not a ding or a scratch on it. It's got the same tail number as the one she flew out of here, but I've been fixing up that old bird since day one. But this? It looks like it's been rolled off the showroom floor, sir.”

“So it's not the same ship?” Laura Roslin looked hard at Tyrol.

“No ma'am, there's no way it's the same ship.”

Lee was up, sitting in the cockpit, looking at it with a pilot's eye.

“On other thing, Admiral”, Galen noted. “It's not just the outside of the ship.” He gestured the Admiral over to a diagnostic unit. “This is the data from the Nav Computer. There isn't any. It's blank”, he concluded, looking hard at the ship. “There's no record of where it's been.”

Laura wasn't President at the moment, yet everyone knew, including Lee, that she was The Boss still. What she said next stunned all of them.

“OK”, she said with a shaky breath, “let's put her in the brig.”

Lee turned his head and stood up in the Viper. “The brig? So some things don't add up, and you're gonna toss your wife into the brig?” Lee was incredulous.

“Lee”, his dad began, knowing he couldn't bust him down since he was not officially under his command unless he was flying.

“No, sir”, Lee said with a raised voice. “Kara went over it time and time again. She doesn't know what happened. We don't what happened.”

“That's why, for now”, Laura insisted, “she needs to be in the brig.”

“Cottle confirmed she isn't a Cylon, Laura”, Lee said, stepping off the first rung of the ladder, and facing her directly. “You can't do this.”

“Yes, I can, Mr. Vice-President”, Laura said icily. “I know, you're acting president, but I still haven't ceded my concern for this fleet. Until we know more, she goes in the brig.”

Bill agreed with Lee, but again, he had to play peacemaker. “Laura, think about this. That's your wife, as far as we know. You're seven months pregnant with your child. And what will this do to her, putting her in the brig, so she can't see her daughter?”

Laura spun and looked at the Admiral. “Bill, until I know she's my wife, she doesn't get near Kacey, or a Viper, or a Raptor, or CIC, is that clear?”

Lee looked over at his father, but Bill Adama was in an impossible situation, and he knew it.

Reluctantly, the Admiral had the Marines track down, arrest Starbuck and throw her in the brig.


	6. Chapter 6

VI

Two Day Later

**Admiral Adama had convinced** Lee, behind Laura's back, to let Kara leave the Brig, allowing her to go into CIC, and try to find the star system she had told them about. She had Helo pull out some star charts, but everything Kara tried it seemed it was a dead end.

“This is a waste of time”, Starbuck said softly to her friend. “I can see it in everyone's eyes: everyone thinks I'm out of my mind. They don't believe me.”

“You want them to believe you?” Helo looked at her hard. Find the damn star system. We've only been looking a few hours. Remember Baltar's calculations took months.”

“It doesn't work like that”, she objected.

The Old Man had come up behind her, the same doubt in his voice. “How does it work, Kara?”

“It's a feeling-an intuition. I didn't use the Nav computer or anything else when I made it back. When we were at the Nebula, it was clear to me. We could have found it right then and there had anyone listened to me. Now? Now, the more jumps we make, the feeling jumps farther away. We're jumping in the wrong direction.”

Adama dismissed Kara, as the countdown to another jump wound down. “The President is adamant-we'll keep following the course laid out by the Eye of Jupiter.”

When the jump occurred, Kara grabbed her head, as if a massive headache had hit her. The same sensation had washed over her with every proceeding jump. She could feel Earth slipping away...

“We're going the wrong way. If we keep doing this, I'll never find the way back.”

Adama turned in anger and exasperation to Starbuck. “You want me to go to your wife, and tell her to forget Pythia, because you have a feeling about this?”

“Yes”, she said with emphasis. “That's _exactly_ what I want you to do, Admiral!”

“I can't, and you know it.”

Her eyes pooled up with tears. “You once said you loved me like a daughter, remember? If you still do, let me do this. I can do this..”

The hurt on his face was evident, but he held his ground. “I can't afford to, Kara."

Without another word, Kara looked at the two Marines that had come in with her from the Brig, and nodded for them to march her back there.

* * *

The Following Afternoon

Vice-President Lee Adama, and Admiral William Adama watched the recording of Kara's ship, with Lee's screams, over and over and over.

“What should I believe, Lee”, the Admiral offered. “My heart, or my eyes?”

“You know where I stand, dad”, Lee replied in an uncompromising tone.

“I do wanna believe her, Lee, but the President is right.”

Lee turned hard to his father. “She's not the president right now, Admiral, I am. If you've forgotten, she stepped down after...”

“After that?” Bill nodded toward the frozen frame of Kara's ship blowing to bits. “Is that what you're telling me?”

“Yeah”, Lee said, knowing that he had stepped right into that one. “Don't ask my why, because I can't explain it, dad, but that's Kara, and she just might be right.”

“You can make a decision yourself, Lee”, his father noted. “As you said, you are the Acting President, but if you do...”

“If I do, Laura removes me after the baby is born, I know”, he said in frustration, "and it just might split The Fleet apart again. Gods”, he said in disgust.

“So say we all, Lee.”

“I almost don't give a frack about what The Fleet thinks, you know?” Lee looked sadly at his father. “When I first got the message from New Caprica about Laura and Kara...gods, I thought it was a fraking joke. But watching them together, even with everything Kara had been going through, they are such a good fit together. Now Laura's due in two months, and she may have to raise the baby by herself, because she might lose her wife.”

“It sucks, Lee”, Bill said gravely. “It really, really sucks, but we have to let this play out.”

Lee knew he was right, but Lee felt something unexpected was on the horizon. He couldn't put his finger on the foreboding that he felt.

* * *

Kara was let out of the Brig, under guard, several times each day. She always had two guards flanking her, making sure, if she was a Cylon, that she didn't try anything. This afternoon, Kara went to the wall of pictures, having thought of something, and wanting to check it out.

Sure enough, her photo was still there from when her ship had...apparently...blow up. She stared at it in sadness. “No one took it down”, she said to no one in particular, not even the guards. “Not Lee, not the Old Man, not even my wife, after I came back. It's still up there, because they don't believe I'm me. Maybe The Cylons did brainwash me, or grow another 'me” in a Petri dish, like maybe they did to Kacey? I don't know...”

At that moment, the sudden headache that hit her when The Fleet jumped struck again, Kara almost falling over, but holding herself against the wall, the two guards moving a little closer, but not helping to steady her.

She had a sudden, heart-breaking thought. “It's Laura”, she almost whispered. “Laura's driving this, godsdammit. The Old Man wants to give me a chance, but Laura's so fraking afraid that I'm just like Leoben that she won't let him. She won't even talk to me right now, but...what can I do about it.”

She regained her equilibrium, steadied herself, glancing at the guards.

She only had one option.

* * *

President Laura Roslin, away from duty on the orders of her doctors, was relaxing in her quarters on _Galactica_. Since she currently wasn't acting president, she had no appointments, and no official reason to be on _Colonial One,_ where Lee was managing the government for her until after the baby was born.

To say Laura Roslin was in emotional upheaval, even despite being off-duty, as it were, was an incredible understatement. When she had first heard Kara's voice over the speakers in CIC, hear heart had jumped into her throat. It sounded just like Kara, but it couldn't be. Kara had died and was obliterated two months earlier. They had video proof of it, from the recording on Lee's Viper, and his anguished screams when her ship exploded.

Yet when the blonde woman who stepped out of that fantastically brilliant white ship, it was Kara in every way: the voice, the mannerism, the cockiness. It was her wife, but again, her mind rebelled against that. How many Cylons had been aboard _Galactica_ since they fled The Colonies? Aaron Doral had tried to blow up _Galactica_ ; Gina Invere had tried to sabotage _Pegasus_ , and then had killed Admiral Cain. Leoben Conoy had shown up numerous times, Laura launching him out of an airlock in front of Kara.

This couldn't be her wife. It just couldn't. The Cylons had either killed Kara, and replaced her, or Kara had indeed “died”, but had been near a Resurrection ship, and downloaded into a new copy. Human Beings just didn't get blown into smithereens, then re-appear months later. Cylons did that.

Yet in the farthermost recesses of her soul...it was her wife in every way. The woman even had Kara's scent, for the sake of the gods! But...her rational mind told her to ignore her sense of sight, sound, and smell. It was a trick. It was The Cylons. It was excruciating to Laura to admit that in the candid silence of her mind, but she knew she was right.

Yet if push came to shove, could she really order that woman who looked, acted, sounded, and even smelled like the woman she had married and made love to on so many occasions, be tossed out of an airlock? If she was a Cylon, she'd be back soon enough, but if there was the slightest chance Laura was wrong...

Kacey was currently in school, a few decks up from where Laura was. She had forbidden...Kara to see the little girl, who still believed her Momma was dead. She had dare not let a Cylon near her daughter. It was a disaster waiting to happen.

Laura returned her troubled mind to the briefings Lee had sent over every day. Even though she couldn't do anything official with them, it kept her up to speed on the government and The Fleet, which she would need when she reclaimed the Presidency in just under three months.

A sudden, dull thud outside her door made her sit up in bed.

* * *

Saul Tigh and Karl Agathon, followed by two heavily armed Marines walked rapidly through the environs of the old Battlestar. A call two minutes earlier alerted them that the two Marines who were assigned to Kara were laying unconscious by the wall of photos. One of the Marines was conscious but groggy, and mentioned that the prison had said something about Laura.

Bill Adama sent Helo and Tigh immediately toward the VIP quarters where the President lived.

“Commander', Helo said reasonably, “just let me talk to her.”

Tigh had formed a strong bond with Kara Thrace when on New Caprica. They had both been tortured, and been part of the Insurgency leadership, but right now, he couldn't afford to let Kara threatened both the President, and her unborn child. Tigh couldn't imagine that Kara could harm her wife or the child she was carrying, but the man who knew he himself was a Cylon, wasn't sure if Kara was. He would act to protect the President, and the ship.

"Talk to her all you want, but it ends with the first bang I hear.”

* * *

Laura Roslin had heard the door to her quarters, and she rose before the person became visible. In moments, whoever it was was in her quarters...

“My gods, Kara”, she said with a sharp breath, “what are you doing here.”

The look on Kara's face was implacable. Not the slightest trace of love or feelings toward the President. Laura thought that ironic, since she had been that way the first time she had talked to Kara after her arrival.

Without a word, Kara raised both her arms, and Laura saw, then heard the cock of a weapon being chambered.

They stared at each other for a long moment.

“Move”, Kara finally said, indicating with the gun where she wanted her wife to go. “Move”, she repeated loudly when Laura balked. “Over by the couch”, Kara ordered.

Laura was convinced, with this act, that Kara had to be a Cylon. Her wife wouldn't pull a gun on her, would she?

“I want to hate you, so much, Laura”, disgust rolling off her tongue. “So much. Do you remember when you had a vision? You remember that? You remember ordering me back to Caprica to retrieve the Arrow of Apollo? Do you remember you and the Old Man ordering me to assassinate Cain, on the bridge of her ship? Do you remember that?”

Kara circled around to Laura's left. “The arrow. The temple. I want down with you, and we ended up in a Toaster party, a lot of people died, do you remember that?”

“Yes”, Laura said, now truly fearing for her life. “I remember it.”

“Even before we fell in love”, Kara said with a raging anger. “Even before I married you, I trusted you, almost blindly, willing to follow you anywhere. Yet now, when I tell you to trust me, you refuse. You won't do what I didn't hesitate to do for you. I trusted you on a vision, but when I have one, you ignored it.”

Kara moved a step closer. “I saw Earth, Laura. You saw the photos from my Viper. I didn't imagine it, and yet...you think I'm a Cylon.”

Laura couldn't have spoken if it meant her life at the moment-which it just might.

“We're going the wrong way. Why can't you trust me, Laura, the way I've _always_ trusted you? I gave my heart, my soul, my very life to you, and this is what I get in return?”

Without warning, Kara cocked the weapon again, pointing it at Laura.

“If you don't trust me, if you really think I'm a Cylon, Laura, shoot me.” Laura looked at the gun, then back up at Kara. “Shoot me, if you don't think I'm your wife! If you really think I'm a Cylon, then I'm the enemy! Shoot me!”

She slammed the weapon down on the table in front of them.

“I'm no more a Cylon than, you, Laura, and I think you know that.”

Kara turned away.

“I wish I did”, Laura said, steadying herself.

Kara whirled back around. “I've put my frackin' life on the line over and over for this ship-for you. So if you don't believe that, you have to shoot me.”

* * *

Tigh and her party approached the VIP quarters, two more guards on the ground, unconscious, the fading smell of a flash-bang still in the air.

He gestured silently to the guards to get the door open, both Helo and himself drawing their own weapons, a look of dread on both their faces.

* * *

“Shoot me! If you really think I'm a Cylon, shoot me!”

Laura picked up the weapon. “They made you perfect, didn't they?”

Yet as she pulled the trigger, something in her rebelled in the other direction. What if...what if she was wrong?

* * *

Tigh and the others heard the shot, everyone moving even faster, fearing the worst, fearing they'd see a dead President, and know that she and her unborn child had died.

“Get that frakin' door open, _NOW_!”

The door was practically ripped off its hinges by the Marines, but when they entered the room, what they saw wasn't what they expected.

Kara Thrace-Roslin lay on the ground, bleeding profusely. Tigh looked at Laura, who still held the weapon extended, a look of horror on her face.

Helo bent down to check on Starbuck. “She's alive, looks like she was hit on the left shoulder. She's bleeding a lot, but I think she'll make it if we hurry!”

Helo ripped several pieces of bedding into strips, to staunch the bleeding, as the Marines ordered a gurney for Kara. It was there in what seemed record time.

Helo had slowed the bleeding, but she needed to go to surgery, STAT. Tigh approached the President, the gun still aimed straight ahead, her eyes wide with fright.

“Madam President”, Tigh said gently. Laura didn't seem to hear him. “Madam President”, he repeated more firmly.

Laura startled out of her near-catatonic state. “What?”

“I'll take the weapon, Madam President”, the Commander said, slowly moving his hand toward the weapon. Laura hadn't realized she was holding her breath, handed the gun to Tigh, and then almost collapsed, Tigh catching her and sitting her on the bed.

He turned to the scene on the floor, as the gurney was lowered. “Get the prisoner to the Med bay, right frakin' now”, he hollered. “Make sure she's secured."

Despite Kara wound, the Marines were not going to be gentle, just in case Kara tried something. As she was tied to the gurney, she began yelling.

“Godsdammit, Laura, we're going the wrong way. Let me go, for frak's sake! Laura! We're going the wrong way!”

At that moment, Admiral Adama walked in, as Kara was led away, still screaming back at her wife.

* * *

Tigh and Admiral Adama have remained with Laura, while Helo went with Kara to see Cottle and get her wound fixed up. Lee has been called over from _Colonial One_ , only being told that there was an “incident” in the President's quarters. He's there in under fifteen minutes, piloting the Raptor that is almost always attached to that ship.

Lee walked in, seeing a cabal of grim-faced people. “What's going on? No one told me anything.”

His father explained what had occurred, laying out how Kara had disabled four Marines, and had pointed a weapon at Laura, Laura then explaining how Kara had put the gun on the table, asking Laura to shoot her, and how Laura had done just that.

“Frak”, Lee said, running a hand over his now-ashen face. “You really think she's a Cylon, don't you?”

There was accusation and bewilderment in Lee's voice. “I don't know now, Lee”, she said honestly. “When I picked up that weapon, I was planning to shoot her right through the heart, but...frak, something in my mind made me shoot her in the shoulder instead.”

That information was new to Tigh and the Admiral. “You're not sure now, are you?” Tigh gave her a long look. He had been ready to come into those quarters and blow Kara away himself, but when he saw Kara on the ground, only injured, he had the same thought.

No, I'm not”, Laura Roslin said in a small voice. “That passion and anger in her voice, hell she even has Kara's scent! I was so sure...up to the moment I fired.”

“Damn”, the Admiral breathed, turning away for the moment. “I want Dr. Tribe to talk to her after Doc Cottle has patched her up. And she has to go back into the Brig, at least for the moment.”

Laura nodded, knowing that if this was truly her wife that their marriage was probably over. That singular thought made her want to vomit, yet she still wasn't sure about who, or what Kara was right now.

Bill and Laura looked at each other sadly. Both would have been surprised to know that the same sudden thought was running through their heads.

* * *

Helo and the two Marines that had escorted Kara to the Med bay stood a respectful distance away while Cottle and another doctor worked on Starbuck. The wound itself wasn't life threatening, but she was unconscious now, as she had lost a lot of blood.

When he finished, he moved outside of the curtains that cordoned off the operating room. “OK, Helo”, he said gruffly, “she's patched up, but she's gonna be out for a while. Even after she wakes up, she's in here for at least twenty-nine hours for observation. She lost a lot of blood, and we've done transfusions, and, so far, she seems to be stable.”

“Doc, if I may”, Helo said, forming a thought as he was speaking. “If she were a Cylon, do you believe the transfusion would have been rejected?”

“I honestly don't know, Karl”, he said with a shrug of his shoulders. “We never had to give a transfusion to a Cylon before.”

“You know, we have Caprica Six in one of the cells in the Brig. Just wondering if we drew some of her blood, and compared it to Kara's, if there would be any difference?”

Doc's eyes widened. “I hadn't fraking though of that, to be honest.” He thought for a moment. “I'd have to clear that with Bill and Lee, but if Caprica is willing, it can't hurt.”

A thin smile crept onto Karl's face. “If she doesn't cooperate, I believe my wife will.”


	7. Chapter 7

VII

Admiral Adama's Quarters

**“Laura, what if she's telling the truth**? What if she's not a Cylon? She can't explain what happened, and neither can we. Even after threatening to shoot you, she's sticking to her story. Even after you shot _her_.”

Roslin snorted. “You can't be serious, Bill. We could put her on trial instead.”  
  
“For what?” Bill didn't like the way this was going. “Maybe she walked in there with a gun, but again, _you_ shot _her_. What if she was just looking for a way to get through to you?”

“You're serious, aren't you?”

Bill had retrieved drinks for both of them, and pounded his back. “If your so sure she's a Cylon, then why didn't you kill her?”

“Nerves frak with your aim, Admiral. Especially if you're not used to shooting people.”

“So does doubt, Laura.” He leaned in looking at her seriously. “Do you want to look back, in a year or two, raising Kacey and your unborn child, and realize that you might have sent your wife-the mother of one of your children, out an airlock?”

“She's the one who let me take the gun. I took the shot, I'd do it again”, Laura said in a tone that was alien to Bill Adama.

“I think convincing you meant more to her than her own life, Laura. Did you hear the grief in her voice when they took her away?”

“Here's what's going on, Admiral: you want to believe Kara. Hell, so do I, Bill. You would rather risk your own demise than to lose her again. That's what all this is about.”

“What it's about, Madam President”, Bill said with equal coldness, “is the fact that you may have been given the miracle of second chance with your wife, and you're flushing it down the shitter.” He stood up, looking at the President with a clear sense of annoyance. “Maybe you should think of that? But stay out of my frakin' head, OK?”

He strolled out of his own quarters, leaving Laura Roslin with a gaping mouth.

The debate would soon be taken out of both their hands.

* * *

Karl Agathon walked into the very large room that was adorned with different pictures of Gaius Baltar. He wanted to smirk, but felt that this wasn't the time nor place to do so. He was here on very serious business, and felt that time was of the essence. He wasn't going to waste any time learning about the cult of Gaius Baltar.

He had put on civvies for this visit, knowing that the military was less-than-welcome in this place. A few people still glanced at him, knowing full-well who he was, but the fact he was not in uniform put them more at ease. He found Baltar surrounded by about half a dozen people-all but one a woman, he noted.

Baltar looked up at him. “Lieutenant Agathon, I didn't know you were among the...faithful”, he said with a twinkle in his eye.

Karl shook his head. “I'm not, Doc, but I'm here on some serious business.”

“And what kind of business is that?” One of Baltar's female followers stood directly between Gaius and Helo.

“Marla”, Gaius said, putting a hand on the woman's shoulder, “it's OK. Mr. Agathon is truly one of the good guys, I assure you.” She still wasn't convinced, but Gaius gently slid by her. “What kind of business, Helo?”

Helo nodded to talk to him to one side, Gaius nodding his head at his followers that he would be right back. When they had some semblance of privacy, Karl spoke up. “Last night, I was talking to Doc Cottle. I'm sure you've heard about the return of Starbuck?”

“Yes, despite the palpable dislike for the military, information does get back here rather quickly”, Gaius said with a shrug. “I hear Madam President shot her wife?”

Helo gave Baltar a warning stare, but he ignored the barb. “Yes, and Kara's doing better.” He explained to Gaius of how Laura believed Kara was a Cylon, and that Kara was still denying it.

“Yes, well”, Gaius said matter-of-factly, “her return to The Fleet is rather suspicious, wouldn't you think?”

“Be that as it may, Gaius”, Helo said, starting to get fed up with the man, “I'm going to try and convince the President that she's wrong, and I and Cottle will need your help.”

“My help”, he said with obvious surprise. “How?”

“I quietly met with Caprica last night in the Brig”, Karl explained. “She has agreed to let Cottle draw a blood sample from her, and the Doc has already drawn one from Kara. Also, Athena has agreed to have a sample drawn from her as well.”

“You do know, my dear Helo”, Baltar interrupted, “that my...Cylon test isn't exactly accurate?”

“That's not why I'm asking, Doc.” He paused for a moment. “Cottle wants to see if you can find any minute differences in Kara's blood, and that of Caprica and Athena, to see if there's any deep-down similarities between Caprica's and Athena's, that doesn't show up in Kara's?”

As brilliant as Gaius' mind was, he clearly had never thought about something like that. His “Cylon Detector” was a bunch of garbage, and he knew it, yet he hadn't delved deeply into if there were any real differences in Cylon and Human blood.

“I could ask why the hell I'd do anything to help Laura Roslin see any logic, or even save her marriage, Lieutenant.” He would never get over his hatred of that woman, or so he thought at that moment.

“Let me ask you something, Doc”, Karl said reasonably. “It's obvious you care about Caprica, am I right?”

“Well, yes, of course”, the Doctor said uncomfortably, “but...”

“And it's possible that, by doing this, perhaps Caprica earns a little trust from the President and the Admiral by doing this? Would that be worth it for you?”

To his chagrin, Gaius knew Karl had him there. It was true. If he could get Caprica out of the Brig, he'd be very thankful, and maybe, just maybe, his own life would be a little easier as well.

“Very well, Lieutenant. I understand why you're asking me, as Cottle doesn't know how to use the advanced equipment I have in the lab I used to run. And I do believe that if there is a marked difference in Human and Cylon blood, I can find it.”

“Thank you, Doc”, Helo said with a genuine smile. “I'll be back, probably tomorrow, or maybe the next day. The samples will be ready for you by then.”

“Does the President or the Admiral know about this?”

“You think I'd be out here in civvies, talking to you in hushed tones if they did?”

Gaius had to admit the man had a point.

* * *

That afternoon, the four who had discovered they were Cylons met in an abandoned area in the ship's bowels, trying to figure out the events of the last few days. Most especially the possibility that Kara was a Cylon.

“Wouldn't she hear the music, just like we did?” Layne Ishay thought that was a good point.

“Maybe”, Galen countered. “We've traveled quite a way since then. I have to believe the Ionian Nebula was a trigger for that.”

“That may be”, Tigh added, “but she keeps telling us the further we get away from the Nebula, the less she can sense what she felt when we were there? She keeps telling us she knew the way, but since then, she's almost lost what she says she felt.”

“Wouldn't we, for lack of a better world, feel it if she were a Cylon? Colonel, you've been near her more than any of us since she returned. Did you get any kind of vibe from her?”

“Not a frakin' thing, Tory. I thought about that, but the only 'vibe' I got is that she'd gone insane, but to answer you, no, I didn't sense anything.”

“If I had to guess, I don't think she is a Cylon”, Tyrol said, still not certain he was right. “I would just think she'd have tried to seek us out. But if she wasn't resurrected, what the hell happened to her?”

“I don't think anyone knows”, Tigh said with no more certainty than the Chief. “I honestly don't think she knows. But she's one confused lady right now.”

“Wouldn't you be if your wife wanted to toss you out an airlock, Chief?”

There was no malice in what Ishay had stated, but it was a legit question.

“If she finds out I'm a Cylon, she still might”, he said, trying to lighten the mood and failing. “But yeah, if Kara is still Kara, that would frak me up something fierce.”

“I've never gotten along particularly well with Kara”, Tory added, “even after she and Laura got married, but gods, I can't believe Roslin is being so hardline about this. She loves Kara so damn much.”

“Yeah, but she doesn't think this is Kara”, Tigh countered. “I didn't think she was, either, but now, I'm not so sure. We've seen some unreal things since we fled The Colonies. Hell, we didn't even know there were Cylons like...hell, like us”, he finished the thought ironically. “We thought they were all simply like Centurions.”

“You've got a point, Commander”, Tigh said thoughtfully. “Is there anything we can do about it?”

“Don't even think of it, Chief”, Tigh responded in his full command voice. “We get involved, it could mean all of us out an airlock. We have to let this play out.”

Ishay looked hard at all of them. “Even if it means the President chucks her wife out an airlock, and we follow her out afterwards?”

With that troubling thought, they went their own way.

* * *

Two Days Later

Helo again was in the compound that Gaius was living in, again in civilian attire. Doc Cottle had drawn blood from Kara when she was asleep, and had drawn samples from Caprica and Athena, who both were enthusiastic about finding out if Kara was one of them, or if she Human. Athena Agathon had lost Kara's friendship when Boomer had shot the Old Man, and Athena had understood that, but when Kara returned from New Caprica, happier than she could remember seeing the blonde, and with a daughter to boot, she had made a legitimate attempt for them to reconcile. It had gone quite a ways until that day Kara's ship exploded. She simply didn't want to see the President, whom she had sworn, indirectly, an oath to, to make a mistake that couldn't be rectified.

Gaius made his way over to Helo. “I assume the samples have been prepared, Lieutenant Agathon?”

“They have, Doc”, Helo confirmed. “Fortunately, I know where the keys to just about every door on this old bucket is kept, and we can get in without any problem. Cottle will meet us three in about fifteen minutes, so we gotta go.”

They were at the door on time, and Cottle was there. Helo made sure the coast was clear before then entered. It was one of the few real doors on the ship-not those submarine-like contraptions that could be dead-bolted with a few revolutions of a wheel. Once inside, Helo took a towel that was in the facility and placed it over the window, another covering the crack in the floor, so it still looked dark. The lab wasn't in a high-traffic area, but Karl didn't want to take any chances.

Gaius cleaned the equipment that he hadn't used in over two years, while Cottle prepared slides for each sample, being careful to mark them correctly, one saying “Kara”, one saying “Caprica”, and one saying “Athena.”

He and Cottle got to work. This equipment was beyond Cottle's ability to operate, but once Gaius got some results, he was confident that the older man would be able to interpret them easily enough.

Helo had no idea what they were doing, but the two doctors were thorough and took their time. About forty-five minutes after starting, Gaius let out a low whistle.

“You got something there, Baltar?” Cottle had been setting other possible attempts, but the whistle made him move toward the scientist.

“Yes, I believe I do, Doctor Cottle”, he said with a slightly awed voice. He had three high-powered microscopes set up, each with a hand-written label of whose sample was whose. “Take a look at Kara's sample first, Sherman, then those of Athena and Caprica, and tell me what you notice?”

Cottle looked at the samples in that order, his eyebrows raising, then looked at the samples again, finally turning to Baltar. “How is that possible?”

Baltar smiled. “That, I could not tell you, Doctor, but did you see what I saw?”

“The Cylon blood cells seem to have more protein attached to them than the Human blood cells. Wouldn't that make the blood a little thinner?”

Gaius nodded. “Perhaps it's because a Cylon's body is more...disposable, than their human counterparts? Perhaps their evolution has made it so clotting isn't as important as bleeding out, and getting into a new body? Conjecture, I grant you, but on a cursory look, that might make sense.”

“You might be on to something, Professor”, Cottle said, impressed by the work, and the magnification of Baltar's equipment. “I also noticed that the Cylon blood seems to be slightly darker than the human blood-hard to tell with the naked eye, but at least my old orbs are telling me that.”

“I thought so, too.”

Helo had been listening. He was no scientist, but he understood the portent of what was being said. “So there is a distinct difference between Kara's sample and the other two?”

“There certainly is”, Baltar said, for once with a genuine smile. “Kara Thrace-Roslin is no Cylon, and despite my difference with her spouse, we need to let the President know that Kara _is_ her spouse.”

Cottle intervened. “Let's look over these one more time-take one more sample of each, just to make sure. If they turn out the same, I will call a meeting with the Vice-President, and Admiral Adama.”

“How about including Kara and the President?”

Gaius shook his head, as did Cottle. “Let's wait to present this to the others", Cottle said, beating Gaius to the punch.

A half hour later, they had two different, clean samples from all three subjects, Cottle hurrying out of the room, and insisting on an immediate meeting with Lee, and Bill Adama. They didn't invite Laura Roslin, as they wanted to show the information to the two men first.

* * *

“You're certain about this?” Vice-President Lee Adama looked at the information hard, giving looks just as hard to Sherman Cottle and Gaius Baltar-especially the latter.

“We ran the test and results three different time, Mr. Vice-President”, Baltar said, using that title to Lee Adama, sticking in his craw to some degree. Three different samples, the same results. There is definitely a difference between the blood.”

“Then how do you explain Hera?” That part Bill Adama had trouble understanding. “If the blood is different, how can she survive?”

Baltar shook his head. “I want to have a closer look at Hera's blood, but obviously, on some level, the blood is not incompatible. Why we never thought of looking deeper at this, I'll be damned. I should have thought of this a long time ago.”

“None of us thought of it, Doctor”, Lee said evenly, knowing that statement was the truth. “But this proves-to both of you-that there's no doubt that Kara is...Human?”

“Kara's blood is one-hundred percent Human, Lee”, Cottle informed him. "I drew a little of my own as a control sample and to compare it to Kara's. We have different blood types, but our blood, at a cellular level, is exactly the same.”

“Damn”, Bill Adama groused. Laura had been right when she observed that he wanted desperately to believe Kara, yet her whole attitude, of completely denying the possibility had rankled him to no end. “And you want us to give the news to both of them, correct?”

Baltar actually gave a small smirk. “I don't think anything coming from me will be believed by the President”, Gaius said, not being able to keep the disdain out of his voice. “I think Doctor Cottle should be the one, along with you and the Vice-President to deliver this news.”

“And that begs the question”, Lee noted, “what do we do with Kara's belief that we're going the wrong way?”

“Lee and I will discuss that with both of them.” He looked up at the two doctors. “Thank you, Gentlemen. Dr. Baltar, dismissed. Sherman, can you wait outside for a few minutes?”

When they had departed the room and closed the door, the two Adama's looked at each other. “Gods, dad”, Lee began, “what scares me is, I don't know how the President will react. I don't know if she'll be happy, relieved, or pissed that she was wrong? This is her wife we're talking about.”

“That's why we let Cottle show them the results. He can explain it in both technical and layman's terms.”

“Do we mention that Gaius had a part in this? I'm afraid Laura will reject the results out-of-hand if we tell her.”

“Cottle will set her straight. He isn't scared of either Laura or I, and he is direct as hell when he needs to be. I think we need to be as transparent as possible with this.”

Lee contemplated this for a few moments. Right now, he was the top government official, and it was his responsibility to see this through. It wasn't just a family matter between Laura and Kara Roslin, but damned important to The Fleet.

Bill Adama sensed what his son was thinking. “Don't even go there, Lee”, he said with a grin.

“Go where?”

“You want to take this upon yourself, and go by yourself. Forget it. Sherm and I are going with you. Besides”, his father grinned again, “you might need us in there if those two woman decide to beat the shit out of you.”

Lee couldn't help but laugh. “Yeah, you have a point, Admiral”, he said, shaking his head. Then he became serious. “Let's go do this.”


	8. Chapter 8

VIII

**Vice-President Lee Adama** ordered, under military escort, both President Laura Roslin, and Kara Thrace-Roslin, be brought to Admiral's Quarters. Both women were informed that Lee, Admiral Adama, and Dr. Sherman Cottle would be present, and had some news that they both needed to hear.

Laura was brought in first, and seated, with a military escort, followed by Kara, with her own escort. Kara didn't look up at anyone, her spirit seemingly taken from her. Beyond that, her hair was askew, her uniform disheveled, and with the glance Laura had taken of her, she had lost considerable weight. Even with the tension, Laura was aghast at her appearance.

Lee and Cottle were the last to arrive, pulling up chairs next to Admiral Adama.

“I've called you two here because, thank to an initiative by Lieutenant Agathon, we've been able to answer some important questions about Kara, and to be quite frank”, he said, his eyes boring in on the President, “I for one am sick and tired of the bullshit going on.” He took a sip of the water at his right hand, wishing it were strong. “I'll turn the meeting over to the Doc.”

Cottle went over the bare bones of the last week, with Kara returning, and the doubt-by everyone-with who she was. He let them know that Helo had come up with the idea of drawing blood samples from Kara, Athena, and Caprica, to see if there was any difference in their blood samples.

“The results, using the Spectrascope in the Science Lab were conclusive. When comparing Athena and Caprica's blood, they were an exact match. I also drew a sample from myself, to compare with Starbuck. Despite being different blood-types, our blood, at the cellular level, is exactly the same. When comparing Kara's sample to that of Athena and Caprica, we noted that there seemed to be extra protein molecules in the Cylon's blood samples, and a barely discernible difference in the color of their blood.”

He looked decisively at both women. “There's no doubt, Madam President”, the older doctor said with certainty. “This is Kara Thrace-Roslin, your wife.”

Tears ran down Kara's face, feeling vindicated in her belief. Laura still wasn't convinced.

“You said 'we', Doctor, when talking about the results. That means at least one other person. Who was the other person?”

Bill Adama handled that. “It was Doctor Baltar.”

Laura scoffed. “You expect me to trust that man with...”

Cottle put his foot down.

“Listen, Madam President”, he angrily said-as angry as he had ever felt. “Baltar knows how to use those Spectrascopes. They're far more advanced than what I have in the Med Bay. In fact, I'm gonna learn to use them, as they can help me better treat my patients. He may know how to use those machines, but I damn well guarantee you that I know how to interpret results looking through them. It's the same principle. There is absolutely no doubt that the woman sitting to your left is your wife, so you better start getting your head out of your ass and start dealing with it..respectfully.”

He finished, his face flushed, both Bill and Lee barely turning up the corner of their mouths in silent approval. They felt the same way.

“Cottle is right, Laura”, Lee said gently. “Helo went to Gaius, and he agreed to run the samples, but he made sure Cottle checked his work, and all the samples. It's all on the up-and-up. It's time to move on from all of this.”

Laura's face was ghost-like, so white it was. She couldn't look up; she couldn't close her mouth; she could barely breather. She could feel four sets of eyes on her, sure that everyone of of those eyes were looking at her accusingly. After a good three or four minutes, she found the strength to look up at the others, and found, to her surprise, that no judgment appeared on any of the face-not even that of her wife, whom she had tried to kill just days before.

When she finally spoke, which was a lot more minutes after that, her voice was weak and shaky. “Gentlemen, if you don't mind”, she said, her whole body trembling, “I would like some time alone with my wife.”

The three men rose. “Take all the time you need, Madam President”, Admiral Bill Adama said, his voice equally as quiet.

The men left, the Admiral, being the last one out, locked the door behind them. For another five minutes, there was silence in the room, only the sound of the vibrations from the ship being heard.

Again, Laura knew she had to speak first. Yet at the moment, she still couldn't look at Kara.

“Kara”, she began, barely able to think, “I...there's nothing I can say that can ever...I don't know how you even want to be in the same room with me.”

It took Kara a while to speak herself. “Laura, what I did the other day...the gods know I was half out of my mind...but I didn't have...I didn't know how else to get through to you.”

Laura gave a humorless chuckle. “You know the Admiral said the same thing yesterday?” She finally looked up at her wife, the younger woman looking so thin and sickly that Laura barely recognized her. “He said you were willing to die to make me see I was wrong.”

“He's right”, Kara breathed through her continuing tears. “You rejecting me...I had nothing to live for. I might as well have never come back.” Kara found the strength to get out of her chair, and kneel before Laura. “The gods as my witness, Laura, I don't have the first clue what the hell is going on. I'm more confused and frightened than anyone. I don't know what I am, but I am not a Cylon.”

Laura looked down at the younger woman, so torn with doubt and self-recrimination at her actions, but hardly knowing what to do. “Kara...I would not blame you one bit for...if you want to charge me with attempted murder. I knew exactly what I was doing, and...”

Kara desperately grabbed both of Laura's hands. “But you didn't kill me, Laura. If you truly wanted to kill me, you would have. You were two feet away from me. But part of you...the part of you that I love so damn much, wasn't sure. Yeah, I'm sore as hell, but I'm alive, and I want...” Kara looked down, as Laura looked away for a moment. “I want my wife back, Laura. We have some rough times ahead-the trust has been broken between us, but I want to get you back. I want Kacey back as well...I'd do anything...”

Laura finally let the truth sink in. “You've already done more than anyone should do, Kara. You were willing to die to prove your point, gods!”

At that moment, Laura stood up, pushed her chair back, then went down on her own knees, grabbing the broken women in front of her with all her might, both of them breaking out into hard, audible cries of despair and regret. “I almost killed you...gods damn me to hell...I was willing to kill you!”

“But you didn't”, Kara assured her, reveling in the feel of being in her wife's arms again. “You didn't. Somehow, you knew...”

Forty-five minute later, the tears dried out, they rose off the floor, looking sadly at each other.

“What comes next, Starbuck?”

Kara shook her head. “I don't know, baby”, she admitted. “But I know we have some work to do, and I want to see my daughter.”

“We can do those things, Kara”, Laura said, still sniffling and wiping her cheeks. “But we also need to sit down with Bill and Lee...and see what we can do about what you've been telling us. I still am not sure...”

“Shh”, Kara said, quieting her wife. “We'll have time for that tomorrow. Right now, I'd really like to get home, take a shower, and be in our quarters when Kacey gets home.”

“Gods”, Laura exclaimed, “how do we explain this to her? I haven't said a word...”

“We'll be honest with her, Laura. Honesty is what has marked our relationship. We owe her that much.”

“We do”, Laura said with a firm nod. She stood up, and used the phone on the wall next to Bill's desk, calling CIC and informing them that Bill and Lee could come back to the Admiral's quarters. The two men escorted the President and First Lady to their quarters, two Marine guards outside of the door.

They advised the two fleet leaders that they had a lot to discuss the next day.

* * *

Louanne Katraine, now six months pregnant herself, knew this time would arrive. She was a small woman to begin with, but her belly was already protruding out to the point that it was becoming more and more difficult to fly, especially in a Viper. A Raptor wasn't so bad, but flying that bird didn't give her the rush of flying a fighter.

She had just visited Doc Cottle, whom she had seen once a week her entire pregnancy, as Cottle considered her higher risk after he near-death from radiation poisoning. So far, she had gone through the pregnancy with flying colors. Today the doctor gave her the news that he was pulling her from Viper duty. She could still fly Raptors, but until after the child was born, she would no longer be Number Two on the fighters.

And that meant that she had to take a form, signed by Cottle to the CAG, who just happened to be her fiancé, Brendan Costanza. Brendan was in the Pilot Ready Room, going over rosters and any intel that he needed to be up to speed on when Kat found him.

“Hey”, he said, looking up and smiling when she walked in. “How'd the appointment go with Cottle?”

Kat bent down and kissed him, then sat next to him. “Everything continues to be good, my dear, although...” She produced the paper from Cottle.

“Uh-oh”, Brendan said with mock grimness, “someone being grounded?”

She put the note in front of him. “Only from Vipers, damn it”, she said with a chuckle. “I can still fly Raptors, probably for another month or two, but no more dog-fighting for me. I haven't asked you, but who do you think you'll slide into the second spot now?”

“I think the logical choice is Narcho, but he's been in such a funk for months. Don't get me wrong”, Hot Dog said quickly, “he hasn't fraked up on any missions, but he's in such a dark mood. But he's still the most experienced person we've got, after the two of us.”

“I'm worried about him, to be honest, Brendan', Kat confessed. “Although who knows? Maybe this will snap him out of it. He's been pissy to us for months, but once he's in the cockpit, he's all business and hasn't been a problem.”

“Maybe you're right”, Brendan said. “I was gonna bounce if off of you anyway, so I'm glad you stopped by.”

Kat changed subjects. “What do you hear lately about Starbuck?”

Brendan shook his head. “Not much. I did hear that Cottle, Lee, the Old Man, and the President were going to meet with Kara today about something. I have no idea what. What do you think about all this?”

“I don't know, babe”, she said honestly. “We've seen some crazy shit since we left The Colonies. Maybe she is Kara. Maybe it was some sort of...miracle. But this whole situation-and you know as well as I do that the whole fleet knows that the President things she's a Cylon, is killing morale. I hope to hell they get to the bottom of this, and soon.”

“So say we all.” He affixed his signature to the document, which would go next to Admiral Adama, then back to Cottle. “I should be off duty about 1700, so we should be able to eat together tonight.”

“I like hearing that”, she said with a cheeky grin. “Should I bring the dessert?”

Hot Dog leaned in toward her. “You _are_ the dessert, sweetheart.” They kissed passionately for a few moments. Kat knew if they kept this up, they might get caught doing something compromising, so she rose from her seat.

“Save that lovin' for later, babe”, she smirked at him. “I'm gonna get the Old Man to sign this. I'll see ya in a couple hours.” She blew him a kiss as she left.

* * *

The Next Day

Kara was released from the Med Bay that morning, but wasn't quite sure where she should go. She and Laura had vowed to try and find their way back to each other, but it was still a very awkward situation. More than anything, Kara wanted to see Kacey. She hadn't laid eyes on her in over two months.

At 0900, another meeting with Laura, Lee and the Admiral took place, again in the Admiral's quarters. This went far beyond their marriage, because of who they both were in regards to The Fleet.

Lee and his father had talked late into the night about where they were as a people, and the fact that the marker from the Ionian Nebula, so far, had not turned up anything. Kara's claim that they were going the wrong way echoed heavily through both of their minds.

By the end of the night, they had come to a conclusion.

Laura was already in the quarters when Kara arrived. She stood, and they gave each other a tentative, awkward hug, the tension still thick between them. Both men clearly saw a determination in the eyes of the two women that gave them some hope that they would weather this incredible storm.

But for now, The Fleet came first.

“Lee and I were up all night, talking about a variety of different things: our current course, the morale of The Fleet; the relationship between the two of you.” He turned to look at Kara. “We also talked long and hard about your belief that we're heading the wrong way.”

He took a quick sip of water. “Maybe it's time to hedge our bets.” This time he looked directly at the President. “What I'm proposing is to set aside one ship-the scow _Demetrius_ and allowing Kara to pick a crew, and for her to head off and try to find Earth, or another marker.”

Laura's jaw hit the floor again, but she wasn't against the idea. “In other words, we go one way, Kara goes another, and that way...”

“That way we have even a better chance of finding Earth”, the Admiral finished for her.

Laura looked over at Kara. “What do you think, Kara?” Laura still hadn't called her by any endearing names like she used to, but Kara understood, at least to some degree. It would be a while before the intimacy returned.

“I get full control of who I pick?”

“That's what we agreed to”, Lee said, interjecting himself into the conversation for the first time. He looked over cautiously at the President. “We thought about doing this clandestinely, and not telling you, Madam President, but that wouldn't be right. Not now. Maybe before the events of yesterday, that might have been the case.”

“Thank you, gentlemen”, Laura said softly. “I think I'd have been mad as hell had you done that, but I also wouldn't have blamed you, with the way I was acting.”

The next hour they spent going over who Kara wanted on her crew. In the end, Kara would take Helo as her XO, Narcho, Athena, Hardball, Hot Dog, Kat, Barolay, and some Marines as her crew. They would set off in three days.

When the meeting ended, Kara rose, not quite knowing what to do or where to go.

“Kara, is something wrong?”

She looked over at her estranged wife, and tried to laugh it off. “No, I'm just not sure where...where to go right now. I don't want to be presumptuous and just...”

Laura put a hand on Kara's shoulder. “They're your quarters too, Kara. Look”, Laura said, glancing down for a few moments. “I don't expect us to simply and quickly go back to what we had. That's all on me, by the way, but that is your home, and when Kacey is out of school today, I want you to be there, so we can talk to her. After all, in a few days, you'll be gone again.”

Kara wrapped Laura in a hug. “Thank you, Laura”, she said quietly. “I've missed Kacey so much, you don't even know.”

“I'll remember that when she throws a tantrum tonight”, Laura chided, trying to lighten the mood.

“That's fair enough”, Kara laughed. “I know I have work to do to get ready for this mission, but I _really_ need to get a good six-hour nap before diving into it.”

Laura nodded. “Come on”, she said softly, “let's go home. I'll get you something to eat quickly, then you can sleep.”

Thirty minutes later, Kara was out cold.

* * *

Laura made sure Kara was awake before she went to the school on _Galactica_ to fetch Kacey after her day had finished. They had briefly talked about how they would handle this, but there was no good way to do so. They would simply play it by ear. Laura had never seen Kara so nervous in her life.

Kara was sitting on the couch when the door opened, the blonde standing in anticipation. She could hear Kacey talking to Laura, that along bringing tears to her eyes.

“Missus Jackson said we'll have a birthday party for Bobby next week, I can't wait!”

Kacey had just finished when she looked into her home, becoming frozen a moment later as she saw, for the first time in months, what looked like...”

“Momma?” The little girl was practically trembling. “But...Mommy told me you died.”

“Hi baby”, Kara said, not being able to hold back the flood of tears, taking a step toward Kacey, then going on one knee.

Kacey moved behind Laura, not trusting her eyes, afraid that this was some sort of trick. “It can't be you, Momma! It can't be!” She looked up desperately at Laura. “Mommy?”

Laura took a knee in front of the young girl. “Listen to me, Kace. Yes, we thought your Momma had died, everyone thought that, but a few days ago, Momma came back. I wasn't sure it was her, either”, she admitted, looking guiltily over at Kara, “but Doctor Cottle proved to me that this is your Momma.”

Kacey turned, still not blinking toward Kara, who was shaking apart inside, knowing that if Kacey rejected her, she might die on the spot. Kacey slowly made her way over toward Kara, with Laura staying right behind her. When Kacey reached Kara, she continued to stare at her for a moment, still not believing her young eyes.

“Momma? Is that really you?”

“Yeah”, Starbuck laughed through her tears, “it's me, Kacey.”

Kacey took one more step, and then did something neither women expected: she sniffed Kara's clothing, which made her eyes go wide with excitement.

“It is you, Momma!” She finally leaped into Kara's arms, the young girl breaking down into happy, but still quite confused tears.

“Oh, gods, I've missed you Kacey”, Kara cried, holding her tighter than she ever had. “I've missed you so much.”

“No one smells like you, Momma”, Kacey said with more excitement, making both Laura and Kara laugh.

“I think I better take that as a good thing”, Kara said, glancing up at her wife. There was so much tension still between them, but Kara could see the relief on Laura's face, as she continued to hug their daughter.

They sat Kacey down, this time to break the other news to her. “Now, you need to know this, sweetie”, Kara began, holding the every-growing girl on her lap. “In three days, Momma has to go out on another mission, and I don't know how long it'll last, but I promise you, I'm coming back.”

“Why do you have to go? You just got here?” The hurt on her face broke Kara's heart.

“Well, we're trying to find Earth, right? And Momma is gonna lead a mission to try and locate it. I won't be gone a long, long time, I promise, and when I come back, I'm coming back to stay, deal?”

Kacey nodded her head. “Will you be back before the baby comes?”

Kara nodded her head. She didn't think there'd be any way this mission would last that long. “I should be, baby”, Kara assured her. “I don't want to miss the birth of your little brother or sister.”

“I still want a brother”, she said with a pout, Laura snickering as she stood next to Kara.

“We'll find out soon enough, won't we?” She allowed Kacey to tell her about what had been going on in school, while Laura prepared a light meal for them, the President suddenly realized that for the first time in months, and despite the tension that still resonated between she and Kara, that she felt almost complete.

* * *

Three Days Later

Three Raptors were set to depart _Galactica_ , and head to _Demetrius_ to drop of Kara and her crew that would go in search of Earth, in the hopes Kara could “find” whatever it was that she had “lost” as they moved further away from the Ionian Nebula. Some, like Helo and Athena, had joined her with enthusiasm. Others, like Seelix and Narcho, weren't thrilled for reasons only known to themselves at the moment. Yet everyone assigned had indicated they were in.

In the hangar, Lee, Bill, and Laura were there to see her off.

“You know through all this, Kara”, the Admiral said softly, “I wanted to believe in you. I even told Laura that. I trust the President's judgment, but I also can't take the chance that you're right, and not do anything about it.”

“I understand, sir”, Kara replied honestly, hardly able to look at the man.

“I've watched you several times after we've jumped, seeing you crying in agony, saying we're going the wrong way. This is your chance to prove to me if you're right or wrong.”

He stepped back, Lee moving up to had been his best friend and his worst nightmare, all rolled into one. “I believe you, Starbuck.”

It's all Lee said, Kara almost breaking down and crying, instead, giving him a gentle, heart-felt hug. “Thank you, Mr. Vice-President”, is all she could say in return.

Lee stepped back, Laura moving directly in front of her wife. “You just got here”, Laura said, truly showing emotion for the first time toward Kara, “and you're leaving again.”

“I have to, Laura. If I don't, I'll regret it the rest of my life. I know you don't understand.”

“Oh, but I understand, Kara”, Laura objected. “Better than you think. We have a long way to go, to try and find what we've lost, so you damn well better come back.”

“Nothing can keep me away, Laura”, Kara said tenderly, moving ever-so-close to her wife. “May I?”

Laura nodded, leaning in and giving Kara, for the first time in months, a soft, tender, kiss, both of their eyes closing in pain at parting again.

They broke after only a few moments, but it was the first step for both of them. “One way or another, whether I succeed or fail, I'll be back.”

Laura laughed lightly. “You can't fail if you make the attempt, my dear. You're the strongest person I've ever known. Either way, when you come back, I will be here, waiting for you.”

Kara nodded.

The other three followed behind Kara as she headed toward her Raptor. As she climbed up on the wing, she turned and looked at the others.

“Attention on Deck!” The Admiral's loud voice summoned everyone currently working in the hangar, and they gathered around. “Commander, _Demetrius_ , departing!”

Everyone except for Lee and Laura saluted stiffly, Kara only looking at her wife at the moment. Kara raised her own arm in salute, releasing it a few moments later, nodding at everyone, then turning without a backward glance into her Raptor.


	9. Chapter 9

IX

Two Weeks Later

  
  


“ **All hands, Battle Stations.”** Admiral Bill Adama almost screamed the words. “Set Condition One throughout The Fleet!”

Tigh was hollering right behind him. “Launch Alert Five. Get me some more frakin' birds in the air! Gun batteries, stand by for target bearing.”

A Cylon Baseship had suddenly jumped in right on top of them. There had been no report of a Raider to scout their position, which made this sudden appearance so unsettling.

“Baseship bearing 3-3-3, carom 498, at 15 MSU”, Dee announced, calmer than the two top commanders.

Tigh stared at the Dradis above him. “Frakin' thing is sitting right on top of us!”

“Mr. Hoshi”, Adama said, before Tigh had finished, “order The Fleet to make an emergency jump!”

“Aye, sir”, the Lieutenant said almost as calmly as Dee had.

Laura Roslin's Raptor had been en-route from _Colonial One_ when the Baseship had appeared, but fortunately was just touching down as all hell was breaking loose.

As Tigh eyed the Dradis, he suddenly had a chill run through his body. He didn't know why...

“What the frak”, he said, _sotto voce,_ no one in CIC even hearing him. “Something isn't right.”

“Gunnery reporting firing solution correct”, Hoshi said, turning to Admiral Adama. “Main batteries standing by to firing on your command.”

Tigh's eyes went wide, again, he didn't understand why, but something was not right...

“Firing on my command”, Adama said more calmly, “3...2...”

“ _WEAPONS HOLD!”_

Tigh was a man with a booming voice, and his command stopped everyone in CIC, including the Admiral.

A moment later, Dee broke in. “Dradis contact!” The Dradis displays identified the new contact as _Demetrius_.

“ _Galactica, Demetrius_ ”, the voice of Karl Agathon came crackling over the speakers, “ _Galactica, Demetrius, do not fire! Baseship is disarmed, and under Colonial command, officers onboard_!”

“ _Demetrius, Galactica_ ”, Dee said without waiting to be told, “authenticate.”

“ _Galactica, Demetrius_ ”, Helo responded, not wasting a moment, “ _I authenticate Bravo-Tango-8, do not fire. Starbuck and Athena have control of the Baseship_!”

* * *

A while later, Kara, Athena, and Karl, along with Leoben, and Natalie Faust, who one of the Sixes, met with Lee, Admiral Adama, Laura, Tory, and Tigh in the Pilot's ready room, Kara wanting to give an immediate report on all that had happened.

Kara was waiting outside the room when The Admiral and the others arrived, and made eye contact with her wife, who nodded.

“Admiral, if you can give Kara and I few moments before we start the meeting?”

“Of course, Madam President”, Bill said with understanding. “Take your time, we'll be inside.”

When Adama closed the door, Laura grabbed Kara's elbow, pulling her aside.

“I know you're gonna give a report, but did you find Earth?”

“We haven't found it, but we're that much closer, Laura”, Kara said evenly, still feeling the tension between them. “Everything I saw before?” Now she smiled. “We found it again. It's definitely a road map to Earth.”

Despite their estrangement, Laura couldn't help but pulling Kara into a hug. “Gods, I'm just glad you're OK, Kara”, she sniffed with some relief. “I've been worried sick.”

“There's a lot to tell, Laura”, Kara advised her. “We better get in there. Things have gotten more...complicated.”

A few moments later Kara and Laura entered together, taking their seats.

Kara didn't waste a moment. “I will have a full report, as will Karl and Athena shortly, but we found the place that I saw in my visions, and when I was away...for those two months. It's definitely the way to Earth. But we have a complication-and that's why the Baseship is here.” Kara turned to the Six. “This is Natalie Faust, she has been commanding the Baseship, and it's important that we listen to what she has to say.”

“Thank you, Kara”, Natalie said. “A Cylon Civil War has broken out”, she announced. Natalie went over the lobotomization of the Raiders, and the chaos that had broken out between the Ones, Fours and Fives on one side, and the Two's, Sixes, and Eights on the other, and how Cavil had launched an attack to destroy what was the now Rebel ship.

“So he might have destroyed you”, Laura said evenly, without sympathy. “You would just keep downloading and fighting him. What's that to us.”

“You don't understand, Madam President”, Natalie said tersely. “We were far removed from any resurrection ship. He was trying to eliminate those of us on this ship, and _permanently_ destroy us, then Cavil would box our lines, as he did to our sister D'Anna.”

“Again”, Laura spat, “why should we worry about that?”

Now Kara interjected. “Laura, you've heard the talk of The Final Five Cylon models?”

“Yes, it's been rumored there are, or were, twelve models.”

“It isn't a rumor, Madam President”, Natalie continued. “Our sister, D'Anna, a Number Three, has seen the Final Five-and they're in your fleet.”

That pronouncement changed the entire atmosphere in the room.

“And beyond that, the Final Five know the way to Earth.”

Lee put it together. “So, D'Anna has seen these five, but she's been...boxed, as you say. Yet she can identify them, and they can lead us to Earth.”

“That's correct”, Natalie confirmed.

“You're looking for a deal, aren't you?”

Natalie turned to the Admiral. “We are, Admiral Adama. We would like you to help us get to a resurrection ship, to unbox D'Anna, then we will give you the identities of the Final Five. They may stay here, or come with us at the end, but we want our ship and yours to go to Earth together. And we'd like the protection of _Galactica_ to help accomplish that.”

“The Final Five have been to Earth”, Kara added. “If we help find them, they can help us get there.”

Laura looked over at Kara, and saw an entirely different person than the one who had left two weeks earlier. Kara had her confidence back, her swagger, and she had an almost radiant look on her face. Laura had no doubts now that this was her Kara, and knew they had a lot of fence mending to do.

“What could possibly make us want to help you”, Laura continued, still doubting all of this.

“The boxing facility”, Natalie explained, “resides within the Cylon Resurrection Hub. This Hub controls the function of every resurrection ship in existence.”

“It protects itself by periodically jumping to new coordinates”, Athena explained, “and then relaying them back to the Basehips.”

“Madam President”, Natalie said, standing, which immediately moved the Marines to bring their weapons to bare on her, but she didn't flinch. “You asked for a reason? Vengeance. You destroy the hub, and Cylons lose their ability to download. All of us.”

Laura caught Kara's eyes, the younger woman almost imperceptibly nodding at her wife, as if to say “ _this is worth it.”_

Through all this, Tigh and Tory exchanged brief, furtive glances with each other, knowing that if all this happened, the game for them was up.

After a brief flare-up between Natalie and Admiral Adama, Adama pledged his word to help them unbox D'Anna, and to help them destroy the Resurrection Hub, and allowing the damaged Rebel Baseship to join The Fleet.

At the moment, no one could possibly see the things that were being set in motion by this historic agreement.

* * *

After Kacey had gone to bed that night, Kara and Laura sat in the living room, discussing her mission, the discoveries it had brought, and began to think, in earnest, about mending their relationship.

Kara started by telling Laura about the carnage she had seen from the Cylon Civil War.

“I've never seen anything like it, Laura”, Kara said, giving an involuntary shiver from the memory. “I think Cavil and those following him really mean business.”

“A Cylon Civil War”, Laura mused. “To be rid of them.”

“That's one way to look at it, but Laura, the more I see, the more I'm convinced that something-the gods, or an all-knowing God, or whatever you want to call it, wants us to find Earth with the Cylons-or at least the ones who want to grow beyond who they already are.”

“Yet one of them killed Jean Barolay, didn't they?” Laura arched an eyebrow.

“Yeah, and that particular Six is gone forever, don't forget, just like Jean is. If they really do lead us to the Resurrection Hub, these Cylons are willing to become just like us-mortal. And if they're mortal, Laura, then we all have the same fate.”

“That's true”, the redhead said with some understanding dawning. “I'm just not sure how much I can trust them. We're talking millennia of hatred and distrust.”

“I think this agreement is the first step in at least some of us putting aside that distrust.” Kara paused and changed the subject. “So, let's move on to us. You've had two weeks to process everything since I left.” Kara arched an eye and gave her wife a wry, yet deeply serious look all at once. “Still think I'm a Cylon?”

Laura didn't look away. “I deserve that, Kara”, she said seriously. “I talked to Dr. Tribe a few times when you were gone, and while this thing, with you vanishing will never make sense, no, I don't believe you're a Cylon now. I didn't when you left. Cottle and Baltar did a little more research, and there's a few more differences in our blood, yet Hera is proof that our genetic material is close enough to being the same.”

“I'll never understand it, either, sweetheart”, Kara said, deliberately adding a term of endearment to break through. “Actually, I might understand right about the time I die, which I hope won't be for a while.”

“Do you have any theories, babe?”

Kara smiled, knowing that Laura was still confused about all this, but was making an effort.

“I don't know. Maybe Leoben is right: maybe I'm some kind of Angel of God, that's been chosen for some purpose? If there is One True God, as the Cylons claim, then he has a sense of humor picking someone like me. As honest as Lee is, he'd have been a better choice.”

The old Kara humor made Laura instinctively laugh. “Yeah, well, you've got a point, but maybe this One True God is looking for the soul with the most upside, perhaps?”

Kara cocked her head at that, eyes widening. “I never quite thought of it that way, Laura. I just...I just want things to get back to normal.”

Laura reached across the table, grasping Kara's hand that lay on the flat surface. “Nothing will ever be normal again, my dear”, she said softly. “Even if we reach Earth, and put down roots there, 'normal' has a whole new reality now-one that could include Cylons among us.”

The two women were silent for a few moments, just looking at each other. “I miss what we had, Laura. And I know, it seems you were without what we had longer than I was, but gods, we both lost our frakin' minds when I came back, didn't we?”

“I didn't give you much choice, did I”, Laura conceded. “I found you guilty before you had time to even present a case-you and Baltar have something in common now”, Laura said with a dark humor. “That's one of my many flaws, my love: I tend to be quick to judge.”

“I think that's a human flaw, Laura, not just yours. But, as far as I know, I'm the same woman you fell in love with and married, and I want...I need it back. I know”, she held up a hand as Laura started. “I know it won't happen overnight, but in the end, all we have is each other, be it all of us in The Fleet, or with just you and I. I still love you with all my heart.”

Laura saw the pain and the genuine, sincere feeling in Kara's eyes, and realized that the younger woman, whatever had happened to her, didn't understand it either, and had felt adrift since returning.

“I love you too, baby”, Laura said, wetness cornering her eyes. “I almost killed you, gods”, she continued, the full weight hitting her. “I was so convinced you were a Cylon. And now, if we destroy this Hub of theirs, it wouldn't matter if you were, because I do love you. We have a ways to go, but I have a feeling that, with all this crap behind us, it'll come back quickly.”

“This crap's behind us, but other crap awaits us, President Roslin”, Kara said, feeling better and more like herself than she had since returning. “If and until we find a permanent home, there will always be crap.”

“Can we talk about something besides feces?”

The remark from the older woman caught Kara off guard, and she began to laugh loudly, only to have Laura shush her, lest she wake Kacey.

“I have to admit that was funny, sweetie.” Kara regained her composure. “You know, it's been a helluva long day. I think we both need to get some sleep.”

“Join me in bed tonight, Kara?”

Kara's eyes grew wide again. She hadn't slept in the same bed as Laura in over two months, even if it felt like less than she had. “Are you sure, babe?”

“I'm not saying we make love tonight, Kara-I think we're both emotionally exhausted from the day, but I want you next to me tonight-next to me every night.”

“I can't think of a better offer”, Kara said sweetly. Both women stood up, moving toward each other. Laura reached out first, knowing it was important she do so, pulling Kara into a loving hug, both of them taking a deep breath at the comfort of their touch.

Laura broke it and cupped Kara's cheeks. “I love you, Kara Roslin. I should never have forgotten that.”

Kara leaned in and tenderly kissed her wife, both of them feeling the electricity again. “I love you, too. I don't think you forgot, baby. I just think nothing has made any sense since the destruction of The Colonies. This is just another case of that.”

For the first time in what seemed forever, they melted into a deep, passionate kiss, which became almost desperate in its intensity for the moment, but which subsided after a few moments. Twenty minutes later, they had changed into nightgowns, and were sound asleep, Kara snuggled against her wife.


	10. Chapter 10

X

Four Weeks Later, Onboard _Galactica_

**Colonel Kara Thrace-Roslin sat in the chair** that Helo and Lee had built for she and Laura a few months after Laura became pregnant. Kara was holding Laura's newborn baby boy, who had yet to be named, feeding him from a bottle of formula.

“Shh, little guy”, Kara said gently, as he wrapped his tiny mouth around the rubber nipple, “you're a growing boy, so just eat for Momma, OK?”

The birth of their son was quite literally the only bright spot in what had been, perhaps, the most harrowing few weeks of their journey since the destruction of The Colonies.

A Cylon Civil War had broken out, which had led to Rebel Cylons and pilots from _Galactica_ destroying the Resurrection Hub, making Cylons truly immortal. On the heals of that, everyone-Rebel Cylon and Human, thought they had reached the promised land-only to find that Earth was still a nuclear-wasted ruins, destroyed by a war two-thousand years earlier.

On top of that, the four of the Final Five Cylons had been discovered after D'Anna had been successfully unboxed, and for a short while, it looked like Acting President Lee Adama was going to flush Saul Tigh, Galen Tyrol, Tory Foster, and Layne Ishay out the nearest airlock. The only thing that had kept that from happening was Kara finding a signal that had pointed to Earth, after Saul and Galen knew something wasn't right about the Viper she had arrived back to The Fleet on.

After the heart-breaking discovery that Earth was uninhabitable, the entire Fleet had gone into a deep depression. Lee had barely stopped his wife, Dee, from committing suicide shortly after they had departed Earth. She was seeing a therapist, and was improving.

Yet none of that compared to what had ended a mere forty-eight hours ago, that had sent Laura into premature labor, which she was still recovering from.

* * *

Ten Days Earlier

Danny Novacek, Call Sign Bulldog, had become somewhat of a celebrity in The Fleet. After escaping from the Cylons, and almost killing Admiral Adama, Danny had undergone counseling, as it had become obvious even to him, that The Cylons had let him escape, as they knew the truth about his mission almost four years earlier, hoping he would take Adama out.

He had come to terms with what had been done to him-that he hadn't escaped, but he was alive, and had made peace, at least with himself, about the mission that could have led to this current war. He had agreed to a few interviews, both for print and on the television, coming off as an articulate, very intelligent man, which of course he was. He felt it was cathartic to let others know what he had been through.

He had also befriended some of the pilots, and even talked shop with them and the mechanics from time to time, knowing that if he were a jock now, he'd be the CAG, as he had years and years of flying experience. He knew he'd never step foot into another cockpit and do battle, but his experience as a jock was invaluable to many of the younger pilots.

One pilot in particular he had become friends with, and that was Noel Alison. Hot Dog had pointed Narcho out to Bulldog one day, telling the older man he was worried about his friend. Bulldog took some time to get to know Alison, and seemed to have a calming influence on the talented pilot.

Alison was fourth in the pilot pecking order, at least insofar as Vipers were concerned. Starbuck, Hot Dog, and Kat were slotted above him, which still irked him, as he felt he was the better pilot. His dislike of Starbuck, her image, and the fact he thought of her as a dyke didn't help either, as it went against the grain of a lifetime of beliefs. Yet he had soldiered on, and done his job.

The mission to take out the Cylon Resurrection Hub, although it had been wildly successful, had upset many jocks who had to fly, literally, in the rear of Cylon Heavy Raiders and work with their hated enemy in order to accomplish the mission. Pilots like Narcho, Diana Seelix, Skulls, Racetrack, and Redwing had all kept their mouths shut, even after it became apparent that Earth wasn't going to be their home.

It was Admiral Adama's decision, with the blessing of Roslin, Lee Adama, and Kara as the CAG, to allow the Cylon Rebels to continue to be part of The Fleet after destroying the Hub, had been the breaking point for Narcho and others.

Bulldog had even made it clear that he was against allowing the Rebels to remain, even though it was obvious that without them, they would never have had the chance to make all Cylons mortal. He and Narcho had begun to discuss what was going on, both of them becoming more bitter as the days went by.

That afternoon, Narcho had had a terse, disastrous conversation with Starbuck in the Mess, overheard by more than a few jocks. He had had it. It was enough having to put up with orders from a dyke President and CAG, but to have to accept Cylons as part of The Fleet was too much.

For the next week, Narcho and Bulldog quietly put feelers out within _Galactica_ , and among other ships in The Fleet, and began to make some plans.

* * *

Seven Days Later

0809 Hours, CIC

“Private Jaffe, log this please”, Admiral Adama asked a young man, handing him a bundle of papers containing all the overnight reports he had signed off on before leaving his quarters. Moments later, an alarm sounded.  
  
“Admiral”, Lieutenant Hoshi said, looking at his readouts, “I'm getting a fire warning on Deck C, in the Main antenna array.”

Adama looked at his readout, noting the same thing. “Order the damage control team to C Deck. Have them report their assessment back to me ASAP.”

Aaron Kelly was at the communications station, which used to belong to Felix Gaeta. Kelly knew he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, and could never win at poker, but he had been steadying himself for this over the last few days. He answered as he always did.

“Yes, sir”, Kelly responded to the Admiral. “Admiral, if the wireless array goes down, we could lose communications across The Fleet. Given our current situation, I'm thinking this fire might not be an accident.”

“Very well”, Adama responded, almost automatically, “Have the Marines accompany the D.C party, and prepare an evacuation of all personnel from C Deck.”

“Right away, sir”.

 _So far, so good,_ Kelly thought to himself.

* * *

Starbuck had seen Kacey off to school that morning, letting Laura sleep in. With less than six weeks to go until her due date, Laura needed the rest, and didn't fight with Kara about sleeping in.

Kara and Laura were still slowly working their way back to what they hoped was they way things had been before Kara's ship blew up, or...whatever had happened, had happened. They hadn't made love yet, but with Laura so far along, she wasn't exactly in the mod for sex, and Kara had understood that.

Yet they had made wonderful progress, simply opening up to each other and not holding anything back as they worked through things. There was a lot of crying, screaming, and yelling as they groped their way back, but also a lot of hand-holding, hugging, and kissing as well. It was a painful, but necessary process. It was making them both stronger. They both felt it, and knew, in the long run, it would make them even better together.

Kara was in the mess, eating breakfast. She and Hot Dog had just had a chat about how Kat was doing-the younger woman was now in her sixth month, both of them becoming more and more anxious to bring a new Costanza into the world.

As Kara ate, an alarm sounded, followed by a voice on speakers. “Attention, Fire in Compartment C. Evacuate Sections 29 through 42.”

Kara raced out of the mess into a hallway that was already a mass of confusion. As she looked around to gauge what was going on, she spotted Diana Seelix walking toward her. Kara approached.

“Hardball?”

“You heard the order, Captain”, Diana Seelix said evenly, a coldness in her voice that Kara had never heard before. “Evac the area, I'm in charge here.”

“Since when did they put pilots in charge of damage control, Hardball?”

Seelix acted as if she didn't hear her CAG and her Boss. “Hey, Seelix, I'm talking to...”

She had grabbed Hardball's elbow to spin her around. Seelix angrily shrugged off Kara's hold.

“Get you're frakin' hands off me”, Seelix said, almost in a rage. “Gods, nobody even knows what you are anymore.” Diana stormed off, leaving Kara at a loss for words.

As Seelix walked away, Kara heard chatter behind her. She caught a glimpse of Charlie Connor, a few other civvies, and some Marines all walking in the same direction. She followed them, not making herself seen. Her instincts were lighting off, and they were telling her something far out of the ordinary was occurring.

Connor led the others into the weapons storage area. “Grab as much as you can, and get up to the Hangar deck.”

Kara watched as Marines used heavy-duty bolt cutters to defeat the locks on the weapons.

“You”, she heard Connor say loudly to someone, “take those four people on D Deck. Anybody asks any questions, you tell 'em it's routine, Admiral's orders.”

Kara moved to her locker, grabbing more clips for her sidearms, then moved out again toward D Deck and the Hangar area.

* * *

Acting President Lee Adama was just getting set to depart _Colonial One_ after another contentious meeting with the Quorum. Despite the fact that the Rebel Cylons had stayed true to their word, and helped them take down the Resurrection Hub, a part of The Fleet still didn't like the idea of Cylons working on their ships to upgrade the FTL's with Cylon technology. One of the loud voiced against the still-young alliance had been Danny Novacek, who had become a hero to many in The Fleet, and had gained a voice as a hard-liner against The Cylons. He had gained enough clout that about half the Quorum had followed Bulldog's lead, and demanded that civilian ships be allowed to deny entry of any Cylon.

As he buckled in to head back to _Galactica_ , first to report to President Roslin, then his father, he could feel a giant headache coming on.

“You buckled in, Mr. Vice-President?” Margaret Edmonson, Call Sign Racetrack looked back at him with a smile, while to her left, he could make out the back of Skull's head as he finished the pre-flight checks.

“Yeah, I'm ready, Racetrack”, he said wearily. It was just approaching 0900, and he was already dreading this day.

* * *

On his console, as instructed, Aaron Kelly hit a single button. “Sir”, he said, turning to the Admiral, “we've just lost communications ship-wide.” He put his best _oh, shit_ face on, which was matched by the Command team.

“Switch to secondary's”, Adama said immediately.

Kelly shook his head. “They're a no-go. Backups are down as well. And the fires seem to be escalating. I'm seeing cascading failures across the board!”

Tigh took a step toward Kelly's position, then looked back at the Admiral. “Main antenna _and_ backup both down at the same time?”

Adama shared a look with his XO.

Kelly had more bad news. “With comms down the damage control teams have no way of relaying the status of the fire.”

The first trap had been set.

* * *

_Galactica_ Portside Hangar Deck

The Raptor carrying Lee Adama touched down, and Lee had his safety harness off before the ship had even stopped rolling, the urgency evident on his face. Racetrack had advised him that there was no communication with the flagship.

“So you're trying to tell me that _all_ communications are still out ship-wide?”

He turned to look at the pilots for an answer. He was so occupied with the news from the Quorum and with the communication problem, that he didn't see the two Marine guards and Charlie Connor standing to one side.

Racetrack had just answered him as he turned to leave, when Connor approached him rapidly, and hit him square in the mid-section, doubling him over.

One of the Marines secured him from behind, Charlie Connor standing with a grin directly in front of him. “Whatever this is about, you're making a big mistake.”

“Oh, sure, we're confused”, Connor said sarcastically. “Maybe we should have a trial to sort it out.”

At one time, Charlie Connor had been a well-liked handyman onboard _Galactica_ , and, later on New Caprica. The death of his son and wife at the hands of The Cylons on the planet had changed that. But where once he had fought for the resistance, with men and woman like Tigh, Tyrol, and Starbuck, his hatred of The Cylons, and of the alliance, had over-ridden any reason left in the man. All he wanted was revenge.

“After four years of fighting with those Cylon things”, he said accusingly, “did you really think you could make a deal with them?”

Connor gave a sideways glance to the other Marine, and the man approached Lee, placing his cocked sidearm at Lee's temple.

“So, were are your precious Cylons now, Mr. Vice-President?”

The man was about ready to fire when he went down like a wet sack of cement. Everyone looked behind them. Where before the Marine had had his gun cocked and ready to fire, Starbuck was standing there after killing the Marine, a vicious smirk on her own face.

“Take it from someone who died once”, she said, eyeing Connor, the still-living Marine guard, Racetrack, and Skulls, “it's no fun. Let him go”, she finished, looking right at Connor.

But it wasn't Connor who replied.

“Frak you”, Skulls spat. Kara and Lee had never had any problems with either of the pilots that were with them at the moment, but Starbuck's sense of duty over-rode the utter shock of her two subordinates turning traitor.

Skulls had barely finished his words when Starbuck fired a round into the right side of his chest, flattening, his Raptor partner, the woman now carrying his child, raced to him. Starbuck had made sure it wasn't a fatal shot.

“I could do this all day”, Kara said, hoping the other three mutineers would choose the same fate. “Who's next”, she grinned, pulling her other sidearm out, aiming it, “Racetrack, Connor?”

Connor knew, for the moment he had been thwarted. He looked at the Marine holding Lee Adama. “Let him go.”

The Marine released Lee, he and Kara leaving the area post-haste.

* * *

As Kara and Lee were making their hasty exit from the Hangar bay, all hell was beginning to let lose. In the Agathon's quarters, Athena was feeding Hera when Marines stormed in, one of them the creep Gage, who had tried to Rape Athena on the _Pegasus_ , and who had tortured Karl and Galen after their arrest. Karl was brutally knocked out, all three of them taken to the Brig, where Caprica was currently being held.

Before Karl and Athena arrived with Kara, there would be one other joining them, because at that very moment, Noel Alison and Danny Novacek entered CIC after Kelly, and others loyal to Narcho and Bulldog had taken control of the ship's nerve center.

“Admiral Adama”, Narcho said, stepping up to Bill Adama, “I am removing you from command of this ship, and replacing this government with a Military junta, led by myself and Bulldog. I am taking you into custody on the charge of Treason.”

Moments later, Saul and Bill were separated, Bill being taken to a conference room, Saul to the Brig.

* * *

After their escape, Starbuck and Apollo dead bolted the doors in a storage area to regain their composure. “Kara, where is my father? Whoever is in charge of this, they're after the ship, CIC is their goal right now.”

“He was on CIC last time I heard.” Suddenly, her eyes went wide. “My Gods, Lee, what about Laura?”

“She's not even the President right now, Kara, why...”

“They were ready to blow a hole in your head, Lee. You don't think they want to do that to me, your father, Tigh, and my wife? Maybe even my daughter?”

“Gods”, Lee said, the full impact of the situation they were in hitting him. “We have to get to the President. I'm pretty sure the school is on lock-down. Those assholes would have to be completely nuts if they attack children. Hell, Racetrack is expecting, remember?”

That made sense to Kara. For now, her daughter's fate was out of her hands, but not her wife's. The good news is that their quarters were one deck down. It might not be a priority for those involved in the uprising. They mentally went over the quickest route to the Roslin quarters, then moved out.


	11. Chapter 11

XI

**Laura Roslin, Gaius Baltar, and Galen Tyrol** waited pensively for Lee and Kara to show up with Admiral Adama. Galen had chosen a forgotten cargo storage area on the underside of _Galactica_ , which had a port for a Raptor to attach to. It was as out-of-the-way as anything on the old ship.

It was a bit of an awkward time for the three: the Colonial President, who had a long and contentious relationship with the former Colonial President, and the Johnny-come-lately Cylon, who had worked with Roslin to help diversify the workforce in The Fleet. Amazingly, Laura thought to herself, she trusted Tyrol, the Cylon, far more than she ever would Baltar, the Human.

Now, they were all in the same boat. All of them targets for one reason or another: Laura for allowing the Cylon Alliance; Gaius, for not stopping The Cylons on New Caprica; Galen because he was a Cylon. It made the awkwardness a little more tolerable.

After what seemed like hours, the hatch to the compartment opened, Kara leading the way in, Laura behind her, Lee behind the President.

“Good to see you, Mr. Tyrol”, Admiral Adama said, Galen giving him a surprised look.

“Admiral, Madam President”, Galen said, glancing between them, “we need to get you to the Baseship ASAP. I've got Athena as your driver on a Raptor that should hook up here momentarily. She'll get you there.”

“Gaius”, Laura said, turning to her rival, “I want you to come along as well. One, you may be an eternal pain in my ass, but you're too important to leave to these thugs, and two, you are accepted, more or less, far more than I am by the Cylons.”

“I suppose I should take both as a compliment?”

Laura gave him a small, but genuine smile, and a brief chuckle. “Permission granted.”

The President stepped over to her wife, knowing how painful this moment could be. She had lost Kara once. She had almost driven Kara away after she returned. And with this uprising, with Kara staying behind to fight, she could lose her again.

“I don't want you to stay behind, Kara”, Laura said, tears refusing to stay in her eyes. “I've been such a fool since you came back. I love you, my dear, with everything I am. I know why you need to stay, and what you need to do.”

“I have half a mind to argue with you, Madam President”, Kara said, laughing even as she started to cry herself. “The only thing that matters to me are you and the baby. Kacey will be safe, of that I'm sure, but I will be here when you come back.”

The stared at each other for a moment, then moved at the same moment, giving each other a desperate, needy kiss, the five men in the room looking away out of respect. In the midst of this emotional scene, Galen's radio crackled, just as Athena arrived.

“ _Section 12, copy?”_

“Go”.

“ _Marine fire team just went past, looks like they're coming your way.”_

Galen turned to the others. “You have about two minutes, everyone. Let's wrap this up.”

Bill and Saul shared a look, knowing they weren't going to be on that Raptor. When he looked at Laura and Baltar, they both knew it, too.

“Mr. Tyrol, take Lee and Kara back the way they came.”

Lee sensed it. “What are you doing?”

“Saul and I are going to make sure the Raptor gets outta here safely.”

Kara started to protest. “Shouldn't Lee and I...”

The Admiral cut her off. “No, and that's an order. You and Lee”, he indicated, looking at both of them, “are the future of this Fleet. You need to continue fighting. Saul and I? We're the remnants of a Universe that no longer exists.”

There was no time for further hugs. As Laura boarded the Raptor, she stopped and looked back at her wife. “I love you, Kara Roslin!”

“I'll be here when you get back, now go! I love you!”

Lee, Kara, and Galen went up the hatch that Galen had entered. The Raptor departed. Bill Adama and Saul Tigh awaited their fate.

* * *

“Sir”, Crewman Gage said sharply, “that Raptor has left _Galactica_ , and is heading toward the Baseship!”

“Who's out there on CAP, Gage?”

Gage's reply was immediate. “We've got Redwing and Hot Dog in the lead, sir.”

“Godsdamn, Hot Dog”, Narcho said in frustration. Brendan Costanza had been like a brother to him since he arrived from _Pegasus_ , and Kat had been almost like a sister. But Noel Alison knew Hot Dog would in no way fire on the Raptor. As he was deliberating on that dilemma, more news made it to him from Aaron Kelly.

“ _Commander_ ”, Kelly said, using Narcho's new title. “ _We have the Admiral and Tigh. Injured but alive.”_

“Who the hell...”

Noel got his answer from another call on speaker. “ _This is President Laura Roslin aboard the Raptor. Do not fire!”_

 _Like hell I won't fire,_ Narcho thought viciously to himself.

“ _Red Viper two, Redwing_ ”, the voice of Paolo McKay boomed out, “ _The target's in your front yard, Hot Dog. Engage.”_

“ _I don't know”,_ Costanza replied nervously, “ _that was the President. She's onboard the target._ ” Brendan looked at his position vis-a-vis the Raptor, and where Redwing was, who still couldn't fire. _I'll be damned if I let that cocksucker shoot down the President,_ he thought with determination. He stalled for time.

“Lieutenant Costanza, _Galactica_ Actual”, Narcho said in a voice that brooked no denial. “You were given an order, now follow it!”

* * *

“No way”, Hot Dog said, without pressing the mic.

“ _Hot Dog_ ”, Redwing nearly screamed, “ _stop fraking thinking and shoot, godsdammit_!”

Costanza had made up his mind. _They're getting close to the Baseship. If I can stall Redwing just a little longer..._

* * *

At that moment, Redwing hit his boosters and rolled around Hot Dog. “Galactica, _Redwing, tally, I have the target. Maneuvering into position.”_

“ _Frak, Redwing”,_ everyone in CIC heard Costanza bitterly shout.

Redwing fired. Athena was able to bank away from the shot just in time. The missile sailed off to one side, impacting the Rebel Baseship.

“The missile missed the target”, Gage said in quiet anger. “The Raptor boarded the Baseship.”

* * *

Lee, Kara, and Galen were about ready to split, the first two would head toward the Brig and CIC, while Galen would stay hidden and try to orchestrate resistance. Just before they broke off, Galen heard a call on his walkie. “ _Chief, Adama and Tigh are alive and in custody. President Roslin is aboard the Baseship.”_

“They'll be taken to the Brig”, Lee said, thinking as logically as possible. “That will have guards, but not as many as CIC. We can get the Admiral and Tigh out of there, then work on how we proceed.”

“That sounds good, guys”, Galen said calmly. “I'm gonna get some of my team together and see where we stand. This isn't over by a long shot.”

“Agreed”, Lee said, nodding vigorously. “I'm pretty sure I might be able to find a hand-held somewhere going up there. If I do, I'll stay in touch, Galen.”

“Got it”, the Cylon nodded, “now get lost. They'll be looking for you soon enough.”

Kara and Lee disappeared around the first corridor to their left.

* * *

Back in CIC, Narcho and Bulldog studied their options. Roslin getting away was a blow to what they were trying to accomplish, but they still held most the cards. It was time to truly step up the pressure on the government.

As they waited for Bill Adama to be brought to CIC, another call came in. “Commander Alison, I have Hardball on the line. Wants to talk to you privately.”

“I'll take it”, Bulldog said, as Narcho was vectoring more assets around the Baseship.

“CIC, Bulldog.”

“ _CIC, this is Hardball_.” The voice of Diana Seelix was brittle, and very emotional. “ _Mission onboard_ Colonial One _accomplished. Returning to base.”_

Seelix had cut the connection before Novacek could respond, understanding the woman's horror at what had taken place, but he answered anyway. “Copy that, Hardball, CIC out.” He hung up the phone, looking sadly at Narcho, who nodded.

Novacek knew this would be necessary in some form or another when trying to take a ship as big as _Galactica_ , and the civilian fleet that sailed with it. It was simply the calculus of war-there would be casualties, and there would be deaths. Even after what the Old Man had put him through, he didn't want to see the Admiral, or Tigh, even if he was a Cylon, executed, but he, Narcho and others had calculated that it would be the price to bring some order and sense back to The Fleet.

* * *

“Why are you firing at us?” Natalie hadn't exactly been honest with the Humans she had been dealing with, but this wasn't part of any deal.

“You're not under attack”, Roslin said with a dismissive wave of the hand. “They're firing at us.”

“What?”

Athena looked over at the Six. “The government has lost control.”

“The government has _not_ lost control”, Roslin responded emphatically.

“Excuse me”, Baltar said, a rare show of resolve in his words, “but how would you describe it Madam President? Admiral Adama is a fugitive, as are Lee and your wife. Alison and Novacek have an army. You and I both know Adama and Tigh were making a stand when we left _Galactica_. I would have to surmise they're both in custody.”

“Adama is free, and...”

“He and Tigh were cornered in an airlock when we left.”

“If you were forced to escape”, Leoben said with urgency, “then Alison and Novacek must have substantial support.”

“They don't”, Roslin insisted.

Tory shook her head, a massive headache descending on her. “This is not good. We have to jump out of here.”  
  
“I agree”, Natalie echoed.

“What about Tyrol, Tigh, and Ishay?”

Roslin stared at Leoben. “If you jump, you'll never see them again. They're after anyone who can get in their way-they already tried to kill Lee, but Kara stopped that. You need to move this ship into the middle of The Fleet. Give Kara, and Lee a chance to rally. Galen is organizing resistance on the ship. If you give them the time, they will succeed.”

It took a few more minutes of heated words, but the Six agreed to Roslin's plan.

* * *

“You want to show you care for the people, Admiral?” Noel Alison thought he could play this game, and was pressing Bill Adama. “Get on the line and tell Roslin to surrender.”

“You call her”, Bill Adama said with scorn. “She'll laugh in your face.”

“Very well. All hands to battle stations, set Condition One throughout the ship, prepare...”

“Sir”, Gage said sharply, to get his attention, “the Baseship! It's moved into the middle of The Fleet!”

Noel cursed under his breath, Adama laughing under his breath.

“Danny, let's spin up our FTL, advise the other ships to do the same.” Noel didn't flinch as he stared down Adama.

“Now, you're gonna shoot me, right, Mr. Alison?”

* * *

“You can't just shoot him, Noel”, Danny Novacek argued passionately. “We've been saying we need to bring back integrity and honor to The Fleet. How can we do that if we just execute him, and even the Cylons onboard? That makes us no better.”

They were in Adama's office, which as far as Noel Alison was concerned, was his territory now. Admiral Adama had been right: Narcho simply wanted to shoot everyone who was in his way, whether it was Bill or Lee Adama, Laura or Kara Roslin, even Hot Dog and Kat, if it came to it. As for Tyrol, Tigh, Ishay, and Foster, he didn't think they were owed anything.

“All that's gonna do is slow us down, and give those standing against us a chance to organize and counter-attack.”

“Look”, Danny said reasonably, “I'm not happy with Bill Adama, and how he abandoned me after that mission, but he was only following orders himself then. It isn't about that. My beef with him is this alliance, and how I think it will be a disaster for our people. Our people are what matters. And we can't gain the trust of the people if we simply and summarily execute anyone. We lose the moral high ground.”

Alison thought about that for a moment. Bulldog was right. One thing that had pissed Alison off since the destruction of The Colonies was what he saw as all this political intrigue: Admiral Adama trying to state a coup against Laura Roslin; Laura Roslin trying to rig an election that Gaius Baltar had won; Gaius Baltar selling out to The Cylons; Laura Roslin selling out to The Cylons. It was madness. What happened to honor and dignity, as Novacek had said. Yet he simply wanted to get past this bloody period.

“OK, we'll give him a quick trial. This can't be like that bullshit that Baltar went through, that lasted a few weeks. This has to be done, today.”

“You'll be the judge?”

Noel nodded. “Yes. We need to get Romo Lampkin up here, to...defend the Admiral. But my mind is already made up. This is just a formality.”

“Fine, it's a formality”, Novacek said with some contempt, “but if it ever gets out that this was a sham...”

“It won't be a sham, Danny”, Noel assured him. “We've been building up to this for almost two weeks. We have all the proof we need-it's sitting about a thousand yards away in that Cylon Baseship.”

“OK, I'll mind the store while you take care of this. I'd take Gage and Sanders along as guards while you carry this out. But I want this looking as legal as possible.”

Romo Lampkin was onboard _Galactica_ that day, and it didn't take much to find him. Alison made sure Lampkin met with Bill Adama, but a half hour after that, Noel Alison had passed his sentence-execution by firing squad.


	12. Chapter 12

XII

CIC

**Aaron Kelly had returned to CIC** along with the Marines guarding Adama. He first got a drink at the water cooler, which was sorely needed.

“Gage”, he said, turning toward the communications console, “you need a break to get a drink or take a leak?”

“Yeah”, Gage said with a nod, coming to his feet, stretching out his tall body. “Gimme about fifteen and I'll be back.”

“Sounds good, man.” Kelly took his seat. He wasn't listening to Narcho interrogate Adama. He needed to go over the computer log to be up to speed in case anything that had started when Gage had been there came up. Most of it was routine stuff. He did notice one file on the computer that said, _Colonial One Mission.  
  
_ “What the hell is this”, Aaron Kelly said, barely above a whisper. He opened the computer file, and an audio file was attached to it. It was the audio of Diana Seelix's call to Bulldog when she returned from the Presidential ship. He noticed how unsteady and fragile her voice was.

Kelly then noticed a link at the bottom of that file, and tapped the computer screen to open it.

He almost passed out reading its contents. The room became blurry, Kelly able to feel the prickling on top of his head that often preceded fainting. He closed his eyes quickly, and was able to regain his equilibrium. _I didn't fraking sign up-for this! What in the name of the gods were Narcho and Bulldog doing?_

He kept his peace until Gage returned, heading back to the cooler, and drinking a lot more water before leaving. He needed to get out of CIC. He needed to be alone for a short while.

* * *

After Brendan Costanza had landed his bird, he somehow managed to escape the grasps of the insurgents who had partially taken over the ship, heading over to the quarters that he and Kat shared. Kat was six months pregnant herself, and even though he didn't think Narcho would harm her or their unborn child, he didn't want to take the chance.

“I want to get you to Baltar's compound”, Brendan said quietly as he gave his wife a hug and a quick kiss.

“No way, Hot Dog”, Kat said, anger on her face. “Those mother frakers need to be taken down. I've heard that some prisoners are being held in the Brig by Noel. I think we need to make our way there and see if we can free them.”

“Babe, I can't risk you and the baby, you know that?”

“Look, Brendan”, Kat said, becoming as serious as she ever had been. “I don't want our child to grow up on a fleet run by zealots. I hate The Cylons just as much, but I'm standing with the President and the Old Man on this. If Noel's at CIC, Adama has to be in the brig. It makes sense. But I'm not running and hiding.”

Brendan sighed, running a nervous hand over his face. “I know better than to argue with you when you get that look on your face, Kat, but for the gods' sake, we need to be smart about this.”

“Preaching to the choir”, Kat agreed somberly. “At least the President got off the ship. I'm glad, for now, she and the baby are safe. I'll be Kara is going fraking nuts.”

“If it were you in the President's shoes, I would be, too. But knowing Starbuck, she's around here somewhere, probably already doing what we're contemplating.

“Then let's stop contemplating, Costanza”, Kat said seriously, “and start doing something about it.”

As Lee and Kara had done, they planned out a not-so-direct route toward the Brig, and set off to help defend their ship.

* * *

Galen Tyrol was scurrying around the innards of _Galactica_ , trying to make his way without being seen. No one knew the interior of the venerable old girl any better than The Chief. He wasn't simply in charge of repairing the Raptors and Vipers, but he also helped take care of the FTL and sub-light engines, electrical and sewage/water systems. He could walk the ship in his sleep.

He had reached a point where he felt safe in coming out for just a few minutes to do a visual check. Pushing open a small grating, he was shocked to hear a gun click.

“Hey, Chief! Looking for a gun?”

Galen looked up, stunned.

“Hey, Aaron! Sprung you, did they?”

Aaron Kelly had gone to this part of the ship simply to think, to wonder what the hell it was he had gotten involved with, and why. The last thing he had expected-or needed-was to run into a Cylon.

“Long live the Revolution”, Tyrol said tiredly.

“Out”, Kelly ordered.

Galen still lay prone on the floor. “Just shoot me now, I'm too fraking tired to get out.”

“You're a fraking machine”, Kelly growled, “get out!”

“That's right, I'm a machine”, Tyrol replied ironically. “And what does that make you...dumbass!”

It had to be the surreal nature of everything that was swirling around the two men-the uncertainty, the confusion, the frustration, for they both started to laugh hysterically for a few moments. It was literally all they could do.

Kelly lowered his weapon, and looked around the stark surroundings. “You know, this was a helluva ship once.”

Galen nodded. There was one thing they agreed on. “Yeah”, he said with another small laugh, “it really was.”

Kelly looked back down at Tyrol, the anger returning to his face, pointing the weapon again directly at the Cylon. Galen simply closed his eyes, not wanting to see his death.

Kelly was about to pull the trigger...and then the file he had read in CIC hit him full force, confusion again creasing his face. _If I do this, how the frak am I any better than those Marines onboard_ Colonial One _? I'm not the brightest tool in the shed, I know that, but I'm_ not _a cold-blooded killer!”_

“Go!” His voice was full of uncertain resolve. Tyrol looked up at him, disbelieving what the man had said. “Keep going! Go, skin job, go!”

Galen wasn't going to hang around in case the man above him suddenly had a change of heart. The Cylon disappeared in a matter of seconds.

“Frak!” Kelly knew he had done the right thing, but the enormity of what had happened-in his name-came crashing through. He threw down his weapon, put his head in his hands, and began to bitterly weep.

* * *

In the Brig, Karl was finally conscious, Athena tending to his wound as best she could, Caprica holding onto Hera as if the Universe depended on it, which, if everyone thought about it, it just might. Tigh seemed no worse for wear from his shoot-out. Surprisingly, the insurgents hadn't put Ishay in the Brig-Athena mused that as good a nurse as she was, they felt it more important that she was there to patch people up. They could deal with her later. Tigh had informed the motley group in the Brig that Tyrol was prowling the ship.

The group heard a loud commotion where the guards were stationed, although from their vantage point, they couldn't see them too well. A few shot rang out, everyone standing up in the Brig.

“It's Kara”, Athena said, breathing easier.

“It's Lee and Kara”, Caprica echoed, grabbing Hera even tighter.

Lee got the Brig open, looking around. “Wait a minute, wait a minute, where is he?”

Kara looked over at Helo, with the huge gash on his head. Athena replied. “Bastards went to town on Helo when they broke into our place.”

Lee was focused on Tigh. “Where is he? Where's my father?”

“Kelly took him”, Tigh said, through tight lips.

“You were with him!” Lee knew in his mind his father and Tigh had been separated, but there was simply too much stress at the moment. “Where did they take him?”

“I don't fraking know!” Tigh used that bellowing command voice to let the Vice-President know he wasn't going to be interrogated.

“Come on, dammit”, Kara said, growing tired of Lee and Tigh all of a sudden. “Let's get out of here before they find us.”

The group heard two more sets of footsteps approaching, Lee and Kara turning their weapons toward the open gate.

“Whoa”, Hot Dog said, as he and Kat came into sight, Kara and Lee immediately lowering their weapons. “Looks like we missed the party.”

Kara moved over to Kat, giving her a brief hug. “What the frak are you doing here, Katraine?” She wasn't mad at the younger woman, just concerned for she and her child. “You should be somewhere safe.”

“I'm a soldier, sir”, Kat said with the same strain in her voice, also not mad, even though this sounded like one of their old arguments. “Best way for me to protect my child is to help to take this ship back. You know that.”

Kara took a quick breath, steadying herself. “Yeah, I know. Maybe I'm just feeling guilty because Laura's on the Baseship.”

“Good”, Kat said with a nod, “she's safe there for now. We got work to do, Skipper.”

“OK, we need to fan out”, Lee commanded. “Tigh, you get Caprica and Hera to safety. The rest of us are gonna search for the Admiral. Let's get moving people.”

* * *

Noel Alison was finishing up his “trial” of the Admiral, which was basically, as Bulldog had feared, was nothing but a sham. Narcho now had three Marines with him, while Adama, with his attorney, Romo Lampkin. The phone in the room rang, being answered by a Marine. Narcho excused himself for a moment to take the call.

“Noel, it's Danny. Just wanted to let you know that Tigh and the others have disappeared. My guess is that Lee and Starbuck sprung them, but I don't know for sure. Keep your eyes sharp.” The phone went dead.

He turned back around to Adama and Lampkin. “Uh, I've just been informed that Saul Tigh was killed, trying to escape.”

There was no reaction from Adama, Lampkin looking at his client for any sign of emotion.

“I'm sorry”, Noel said, almost sounding sincere, “but you did give aid and comfort to the enemy. Saul Tigh was a Cylon, and even after you found that out, you allowed him to remain XO of this ship.”

“I'm not answering any more of your questions, Mr. Alison. For the record, Tigh was a better officer than you'll ever be.”

That made Alison snap. “The prisoner is guilty as charged.”

Lampkin looked around the room. “This isn't a trail, this is an asylum!”

Alison rose, grabbing Lampkin by the lapels of this suit coat. “We're finished here!”

Without warning, a voice was heard over the speaker system in the room. “ _This is President Laura Roslin, speaking to you from the Cylon Baseship. Noel Alison and Danny Novacek have seized_ Galactica _by force. They Cylons were defending themselves, they will not harm you. I repeat, they will not harm you!”_

As Roslin's voice continued, Alison reached for the phone, calling CIC. “Jam that signal”, he said to whoever was on the other end. “Why the frak is she still broadcasting? Where's Hoshi? Well get that little frak back up to CIC.”

“ _Shut down your FTL drives, and...”_

Roslin's voice was finally cut off, Alison indicating for the guards to take Adama away to be executed.


	13. Chapter 13

XIII

**Aaron Kelly had recovered from** his breakdown, wandering aimlessly back to CIC. He didn't even know why he went back there. He was running on automatic, he supposed, not knowing what else to do.

When Danny Novacek gave the order for Aaron to lead the Marine escort that was holding Bill Adama, to one of the starboard launch tubes, he dumbly nodded his head, meandering off to his assignment. He heard, but he didn't hear, Narcho's commands as to where to go. Somehow, through the fog in his mind, he did understand what was said.

With a stone face, but a troubled heart, he was in the rear, behind the three Marines, who were behind Adama, their guns pointing at him, lest he make any kind of move. As they turned toward the launch bays, Kelly stopped in his tracks. He simply couldn't go any further. His mind was rebelling against what he had been doing. It was too much for a simple man like Aaron Kelly.

He turned around, finding a storage container at the T in the hallway, and, for the second time that day, he sat down, and wept uncontrollably.

* * *

Tension was still high on the Cylon Baseship, as the still-damaged vessel remained ensconced within the confines of the civilian ships, neither side willing to budge for the moment. Gaius Baltar had retired to a bedroom, alone for once, he thought wryly, but badly needing the rest. The rest of The Cylons had seemingly done the same for the moment, knowing the Hybrid onboard would alert them of any trouble.

Laura Roslin couldn't sleep. Natalie had given her quarters for her private use, wanting to make the pregnant President comfortable. The Six had been impressed by Roslin in the few times they had met. She admired her determination, even as she still didn't quite trust the Colonial leader.

Laura had felt confined in the room, but didn't want to leave. She sat in a chair in the room, nervously thinking about her wife onboard _Galactica_ , wondering what trouble Kara was getting herself into. Laura gave a small laugh at that thought, knowing Kara excelled at getting into trouble, yet knowing when the shit hit the fan, Kara would perform above and beyond for her people, as she always had.

Yet she knew that if Kara were caught, she would probably executed. If not executed, used as a bargaining chip for Laura to surrender to the Rebels. Even then, she felt their chances of being alive if they lost were not good.

As she pondered all of this, there was a knock on the open door, Laura looking up and seeing the lead Six, who had never given a name.

“Can I help you?”

Natalie smiled. “I think I'm like you-I can't sleep right now. I can't shut my mind down.”

Laura gave a smile. “And I thought you could just shut down your mind whenever you wanted”, she observed. “From everything I've seen since we landed here, I think I might have been mistaken.”

Natalie came in, and sat on the bed near Laura's chair. “You'd be surprised, especially since this Civil War broke out. Being 'in charge', I guess, I'm not getting a whole lot of sleep, and just like you, we do need it. Most of what we are is flesh and blood. We get tired, we get hungry, we get muscle pain and break bones.”

“And now, just like us, you will die at the end of your lifespan.” It wasn't meant as a dig, the Six knowing that. She herself had said as much to the Quorum not long ago, but even so, the words stung a little.

“Yes”, she said, lowering her eyes for a moment, then looking back up with resolve into Laura's eyes. “But I'd do it all over again. It's the only way to end this godsdamned war.”

The determination on the face of the Six impressed Laura. She had never thought she'd hear a Cylon talk like this, let alone admit the war had to end. Tigh had mentioned to her after they left Earth that she wanted off this merry-go-round of eternal war, and chose to die on Earth instead of being part of any more bloodshed.

“How far are you along, Madam President?”

Laura hadn't expected that question, but on reflection, with her belly bulging out, she should have. “I'm due in just under two months now. So far, the baby's been extremely healthy. It was necessary for me to step down temporarily, especially after Kara...supposedly died. There was just too much strain.”

“Leoben explained to us what Kara told him. It doesn't make any sense-even to us. Kara's certainly not a Cylon, but Lee saw her ship explode-but she comes back two months later?” Natalie shook her head. “It just doesn't add up.”

“No, it doesn't”, Laura agreed quickly. “I was convinced she was a Cylon. I even almost killed her.”

Natalie nodded. “So we heard through Athena. In your shoes, I might have done the same thing, who knows?”

“Nothing makes sense anymore”, Laura said sadly. “Here we are, the two of us-one Human, one Cylon, both in the middle of our own Civil War, and we're allies?” Laura laughed. She couldn't help herself.

“I told Athena before she jumped back that she was blessed to have Hera. I think your child will be a blessing as well.”

“I just don't know what kind of mother I'll be. Our daughter Kacey, I love her to no end, but she's not an infant.”

“If you can take care of your fleet”, Natalie said with a broad smile, “I think you can take care of your baby. We were surprised when we discovered you and Kara had married, but I can actually see it, now that I've met you and gotten to know you just a little. Two strong, courageous women. You two make formidable enemies-and formidable allies.”

Laura nodded wearily. “I just hope I see her again.”

“You will, Madam President”, Natalie said with confidence. “I don't think God has brought us all this way just to abandon us at our greatest hour of need.”

“So say we all”, the President said, both women giving each other a small smile.

* * *

Redwing had been tasked by Narcho to carry out Admiral Adama's execution. He had been directly behind the Admiral, the Marines behind him, and Kelly bringing up the rear. He hadn't noticed that Kelly was no longer there. It didn't even cross his mind when he lined up the six men with their rifles.

“Admiral”, Paolo McKay asked respectfully, “would you like a blindfold, sir?”

Adama didn't even look at the man. “I don't need a fraking blindfold, son. I'll look these Marines in the eye, and when this is all over, and they're in the Brig, they'll remember the look on my face. Is that clear.”

Out of habit, Redwing responded. “Crystal clear, Admiral.”

* * *

In CIC, there was a tense calm which had descended. Not a lot was going on, both _Galactica_ and the Baseship taking the measure of the other, but taking on overt action, either. People on both sides were resting and thinking, waiting for the next scene of this drama to unfold.

Into the silence, a voice came over the speakers. “Galactica _, this is President Laura Roslin. Release all those that are being held against their will, and return command of The Fleet to Admiral William Adama.”_

Laura and the Six had decided it was time to press things. They had roused the others that were resting, and were awaiting the response from the Colonial warship.

“ _You have five minutes.”_

* * *

Narcho and Bulldog stood on either side of the Command table in CIC, exchanging glances. Before responding, Narcho picked up his phone, and pressed a button. “Redwing, carry out the execution”, he said quickly, hanging up before the man could reply.

* * *

Lieutenant McKay turned to address the firing squad. “By order of Commander Noel Alison, Commander of the Battlestar _Galactica_ , we are hear to carry out the execution of Admiral William Adama, for giving aid and comfort to the enemy; treason; dereliction duty; and behavior unbecoming an officer.” He turned back to Adama. “Admiral, do you have any last words...”

All the lights in the tube went dark, the place became pitch black. Adama's hands were tied behind his back, but his legs had not been tied. He went straight to the floor, hearing some commotion where the Marines had stood. He heard muffled cries, and what sounded like hand-to-hand combat. In a matter of thirty seconds, the place went quiet. The scuffling of one pair of feet could be heard, growing faint as whoever it was moved away. In a few seconds, the lights came back on.

What he saw took his breath away: the six Marines were on their knees, their weapons confiscated, hands on the back of their head. To one side, Saul Tigh was holding a gun at close range to Redwing's head; Aaron Kelly was standing behind the Marines, pointing a gun at _their_ heads, while Lee, Kara, Hot Dog, Kat, and Athena used plastic ties to secure the hands of the Marines behind their backs.

Despite the tension, a large smile broke out on his face, seeing his rescuers.

Lee untied his father, giving him a hug. Adama then went up to his XO. When Bill Adama had first found out Saul Tigh and the others were Cylons, he had gone out of his mind, wanting to kill the man on the spot. Yet he couldn't. Despite the fact that Tigh was a skin job, there wasn't anyone who had remained as loyal to him, or to _Galactica_ , as Tigh. Now, he looked sadly at his friend.

“They told me you were dead”, Bill said, emotion on his face.

“For a while, I was, Bill.”

The Admiral turned to face the Marines that were now on their knees, with the host of his followers behind them. “I want to take back my ship”, he said with a fearsome scowl on his face, looking to his left, even deeper anger lining his face as he looked at Redwing.

He was giving the Lieutenant an opportunity to redeem himself, as Kelly had done.

“Lieutenant?”

To his credit, Redwing looked directly at the Admiral. “I'm sorry sir. I've always respected you, but I hate The Cylons, and I can't take orders from a leader who won't fight them.”

Tigh cocked his weapons and pointed it at Redwing.

“Commander”, Bill Adama cautioned his XO, “stand down.” He moved directly in front of McKay. “Tie him up.”

* * *

CIC

“Put me on speaker”, Narcho said to Gage, who did as instructed. “This is Noel Alison, Commander and leader of the Twelve Colonies. It's over, Madam President. Saul Tigh was killed while attempting to escape. Admiral Adama was tried and found guilty of his crimes.” It was time for Narcho to put unbearable pressure on Roslin. “A short while ago, Admiral Adama, along with Vice-President Lee Adama, and your wife, Commander Kara Thrace-Roslin, were executed by a firing squad.

It's done, Madam President”, he continued, with no joy at all in his voice. “You need to think about the people of The Fleet now and surrender.”

There was a long pause while they waited for a response.

* * *

Laura almost collapsed, hearing that her wife had been executed, the rest of the Command team on _Galactica_ suffering the same fate. Without fail, everyone around her closed their eyes in anger and pain-even Tory, who had rebelled against Laura since telling the President she was a Cylon.

Yet Narcho had been right about one thing: she had to think about the people of The Fleet, but not in the way Noel Alison had meant it.

“No”, she finally replied, her voice like the sharp edge of a sword. “Not now. Not ever!”

Gaius Baltar stood next to her, and the metal in her words made him straighten up, and for the first time, he felt a pride in Laura Roslin. He was doing to the insurgents on _Galactica_ what he had failed to do to The Cylons on New Caprica. He knew they might well die in the next few minutes, but the fact that President Roslin was not backing down, was not lost on him. Glancing around at the others in the room, he could see the same resolve forming on their faces.

“Do you hear me”, Roslin continued. “I will use every cannon, every bomb, every bullet, every weapon I have, down to my own eye teeth to end you. I swear it! I'm coming for all of you!”

At that moment, the Alliance between Human and Cylon was cemented. It may only last a few minutes, but they would be glorious minutes.


	14. Chapter 14

XIV

_**I always knew this ship was fracking huge**_ , thought Galen Tyrol, _but gods, I feel like I've been running through her innards for days!_

Then again, he had literally needed to go from the front of the ship to the rear of the ship. His entire journey was to the engines, and the massive powerplants that propelled her. He had been surprised that Narcho hadn't jumped the ship by now, but he had to admit that, with a million things going on, Noel had probably become a little overwhelmed.

He still had a ways to go, and he knew that time was not on his side. He continued to his ultimate destination.

* * *

“Baseship is arming itself, sir.” There was a deadly urgency in Gage's voice.

“Are we jump-ready?”

Gage responded to Narcho immediately. “Affirmative.”

Narcho and Bulldog shared a look, Alison nodding at his compatriot.

“Set the rendezvous jump coordinates”, Bulldog ordered quickly. “Set your board to green.”

The FTL specialist, with a guard pointing a gun at her back, slid the large, blue key into the slot.

Danny Novacek looked at Noel Alison sadly. “There's been enough killing, Noel. We're leaving them behind.”

Alison didn't quite have the qualms that Bulldog did. He would have liked to slug it out with the Cylons, and get rid of Laura Roslin along with everyone else who had supported her, but the logic was irrefutable. It was time to leave.

* * *

Bill Adama walked out of the hangar deck, picking up a small army along the way, of civilians and soldiers who had been trying to resist. Seeing the grim-faced Admiral, with Kara, Lee, Kat, Hot Dog, and Athena behind him, his nerve instantly spread to them.

They began the trek to CIC.

* * *

Galen Tyrol entered his password to access the FTL auxiliary controls. It wasn't accepted. He had hoped that wouldn't be the case, but it made sense that the insurgents had locked him out.

 _I'm gonna have to do this the old-fashioned way,_ he mused as he headed directly toward one of the FTL drives. _Good old elbow grease.._

* * *

“Sir”, Gage said, feeling a surge of relief, “board is green.”

“Count it down”, Noel Alison said with the same anticipation.

“Counting it down. Jump in 10...9...8...7...6”

* * *

The small army had doubled behind Bill Adama in under a minute. In another minute, they'd be on top of CIC.

“Give me a weapon”, he said to a Marine walking hear him. A sidearm was quickly placed in his hands.

* * *

Galen Tyrol ripped a hard plastic molding off in front of the FTL drive's main shaft, the Cylon mechanic reaching into the innards.

Knowing what he had to do, he braced himself. _This is gonna hurt like hell..._

* * *

“5...4...3...”

* * *

There was a hard, very sharp piece of metal covering the guts of the drive. Even using his Cylon strength, the thing was stubborn coming off. As he pressed his hand and fingers into it, he winced, slicing his fingers, but eventually winching the piece of metal away.

With that done, he grabbed a cylinder within the shaft. Cylinder's like this could be easily removed for maintenance. It was the casing that had been the bitch.

* * *

Gage turned to Noel in horror. “FTL just went offline!”

Both Noel and Bulldog had their eyes go wide. Noel was about to give the order to fire all weapons at the Baseship, and at least go down fighting.

He never got the chance. Chaos broke out at the entrance to CIC.

“Put your weapons down”, Lee Adama yelled above the mayhem that broke out. “Weapons down.”

“Put 'em down, now!” Kara's voice rang loudly through CIC. The Marines that had been holding the CIC crew hostage hesitated for a moment, then saw the futility of shooting it out. There'd be no one left to run the ship if they opened fire. Reluctantly, they lowered their weapons and dropped them.

As the Marines were being secured, Lee took a seat at the communications console as Gage was cuffed.

“Lee”, Kara said urgently, “get me the Baseship. Let me talk to the President!”

* * *

The tension on the Baseship was growing unbearable. They had not heard a reply from Galactica-either with the sound of a voice or with missile fire. It was just silence.

The speakers crackled to life. “ _Madam President...Laura. This is Kara! Stand down. We've secured_ Galactica, _I repeat, stand down!”_

Laura closed her eyes, giving thanks to the gods, or God, or whomever, tears springing to her eyes. She simply mouthed the word “Kara”, not saying her wife's name out loud.

Almost six hours after it had started, the attempted coup was over.

* * *

Admiral Adama spoke with the President shortly after, informing her to remain on the Baseship while they rounded up any straggling resistance. It had taken another hour to secure the ship for her return. Most of the mutineers left had surrendered when the Admiral had announced he was back in control. A few, like Charlie Connor, and Diana Seelix, had chose to fight instead of surrender. On their sweep through the ship, Athena had killed Hardball with a shot between her eyes. Kara had gunned down Charlie Connor, wishing Lee could have had the honor after Connor had almost had the Vice-President executed.

It was another half-hour after that before Adama gave Tyrol the order to re-connect the FTL drive. He posted trusted guards into the entrance of the engine room, just on the off chance that someone would try to to be a martyr to the now-forlorn cause of taking over the ship.

Half an hour after that, the Admiral gave the all-clear, and told everyone onboard the Rebel Baseship it was safe to come home.

* * *

Laura Roslin gingerly descended the ladder in the area where Athena had docked their Raptor on it's return to _Galactica_. She made it easily enough, even though her legs felt like rubber.

When she turned around, the most beautiful sight she had ever seen greeted her eyes: Kara standing there, at ease, her hands clasped behind her back, a warm smile on her face, with tears coming down her cheeks. Behind her, Bill Adama and Lee Adama stood silently.

Laura gasped. “Kara”, she said, barely getting the word out.

Starbuck approached her. As Laura met her half way, her legs did finally give way, the President falling into the embrace of her wife, who kept her upright, both of them crying softly. Kara embraced Laura, her eyes closed, her cheek on Laura's shoulder, a contented, relieved smile on her face.

“They told me...they told me you were dead, baby.”

Kara actually chuckled, which seemed out of place, until Laura realize this was Kara that had chuckled. “They never got a clean shot at me, Madam President”, she assured her wife. “We came damn close to losing the Admiral, though.”

For a few minutes, the two women were silent, not wanting to break the physical bond between them. When they separated, Laura leaned in and kissed her wife tenderly, as if rediscovering what she had lost and regained, and almost lost again.

A few moments later, President Roslin looked over at the two men behind them, smiling broadly at both the Adama's.

“Madam President”, Bill said with a relived smile of his own.

“Admiral”, Laura said, embracing. “I leave the ship, and you boys get into all kinds of trouble, don't you?”

Everyone laughed, Laura going over to Lee and embracing her Vice-President as well.

“I guess that's enough excitement for one day, gentlemen?”

“For one lifetime, Madam President”, Lee said with a derisive laugh.

“Point taken, Mr. Adama”, she said with an answering laugh. “If you gentlemen would be so kind as to escort my wife and I to see Doc Cottle. I felt some minor discomfort from this little ball in my tummy, and I want to get it checked out.”

“It would be our singular honor, ladies”, Bill said with a wink and a smile.

Ten minutes later, they were at the Med bay. It was then Cottle told her that she had, indeed gone into labor, and that the baby was going to be born a little early. Six hours later, President Laura Roslin gave birth to a little, albeit, healthy boy.

Cottle wanted to keep the President under observation for at least twenty-nine hours, maybe more, the events of the day having exhausted the Chief Executive. By the following morning, Cottle allowed Kara to take their son home.


	15. Chapter 15

XV

The Present

**President Laura Roslin was sitting** in her quarters for the first time since giving birth to her son. For the first time, she was breast-feeding the little guy, feeling an instant connection to the life that, until a few days ago, was still inside her.

It had been a rough few months for the President: apparently losing Kara in an explosion; two months later, seeing Kara return in the flesh, but almost killing her wife with a gun; then the fleet-shattering coup attempt orchestrated by Noel Alison and Danny Novacek, both now dead by firing squad, others facing the same fate, while others are in prison.

It had been too much stress, and she had gone into premature labor. The labor went smoothly, which was a relief, yet now Laura Roslin, President of the Twelve Colonies, faced her greatest challenge and role in her life-being a mother.

She lightly ran her hand over the fine, blonde hair on the baby's head, truly awed by the power this little Human had on her heart and soul. It's as if she had known him her whole life, so instantaneous was the love that squeezed her heart when seeing him.

“I see you and junior are having a...personal moment.”

Laura looked up to see her wife, Kara, walk into their quarters. Kara had been on CAP that morning, Laura being released while she was patrolling. Such was the life with two women who had crucial jobs in The Fleet.

“You jealous?” Laura winked at her beautiful younger wife.

“Well, those nipples used to be my exclusive domain”, she said with a chuckle, “but I don't mind sharing it with him. As long as I get a chance to reclaim it for myself in time.” She leaned over, kissing Laura's lips, then kissing the top of their son's head.

“How was CAP?”

“The usual, boring routine, which sure beats what's been going on. Usual and boring? I could get used to that.”

“I'm sorry they let me out while you were on patrol”, Laura said, meaning every word. “Lee was nice enough to escort me home, but I'd rather it had been you, honey.”

Kara shrugged. “Don't get worked up about it, Laura. We both have jobs that will always make us miss some things, but what was funny is that when Helo informed me you were going home, the rest of the day went by fast.”

“It won't always be that way, Kara”, Laura said with a snicker. “Usually, duty will call at the worst possible moment.”

Kara started to chuckle, which turned into a full-blown laugh, Laura looking at her like she had two heads.

“What was so funny about that?”

It took Starbuck a few minutes to calm her laughter. “Oh, that isn't funny, but you remember that night-it was about 1am? Condition One was flashed to us as you were about to come, sitting on my face?” Kara's laughter started up again.

Laura at first wanted to be mad at the memory. She had just told Kara how close she was, when the klaxons went off onboard _Galactica_. Yet seeing Kara lose it, Laura did the same, laughing hard, but trying not to bother her son while feeding.

“You still owe me for that one, my love”, Laura said as her laughter died down. “I expect payment in the very near future.”

“It would be my pleasure, Madam President”, Kara said with one more snicker.

“On to something more serious, Starbuck”, Laura observed when they calmed down. “With everything going on, we still have one more important task for this little guy.”

Kara nodded. “We haven't talked about it much, I know-the name we'll give him. I'm open to your ideas. After all, you gave birth to him.”

“Don't I know it”, Laura said with a groan, but they both chuckled. “Maybe that's true, but I think I have the perfect name for him. Try this on: Samuel Thrace Roslin?”

Kara's mouth fell open, emotion immediately overtaking her. For once, she held back the tears, but her mouth twitched with a mixture of happiness and sadness. She still loved, and always would love Samuel T. Anders. He had been the first to accept her, despite all her flaws, and even though they had fought like cats and dogs, there had been a deep love between them.

Now, married to Laura, she felt the security of love for the first time in her life. Despite all they had been through since...whatever happened to her happened...they were well on their way to finding that which they had discovered before this insanity started up. They were deeply in love, and they knew that, together, nothing could conquer them.

“I don't think...” Kara struggled to keep the tears at bay. “I don't think we need to worry about any other names, babe.” She leaned in, again kissing her wife, then leaning down, kissing her son on top of the head. “Welcome to the Universe, Samuel Thrace Roslin. I love you.”

To Be Continued...


End file.
